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Inspiring Lives 
of Sixty 
Famous Men 



Ludwig von Beethoven 







































































































INSPIRING LIVES 

OP SIXTY 

FAMOUS MEN 

BY 

LENAC.AHLERS 



ILLUSTRATED BY 

BENNY LARSEN 

albert¥whitman 

co. 

CHICAGO 








Inspiring Lives of Sixty Famous Men 
Copyright 1928 

By Albert Whitman & Company 



OTHER WHITMAN TITLES 
Adventures of Lafayette 
By E. Cecil 

Playtime Round the World 
By Frances Ellen Funk 

Girl of the Forest 
By Mary Earle Hardy 


Just Right Book 
Printed in the U. S. A. 


DEC 29 1928 

©CIA 2520 




CONTENTS 


Page 

Americus Vespucius. 9 

La Salle. 11 

Robert Peary. 17 

David Livingstone. 21 

Montgomery Pike. 25 

John Paul Jones. 27 

Nathan Hale. 31 

Anthony Wayne. 39 

Oliver H. Perry. 45 

Ethan Allen. 54 

Charles Pickney. 60 

Paul Revere. 64 

John Brown. 68 

Philip Sheridan. 75 

John Stark. 80 

Johann S. Bach. 86 

Josef Strauss. 90 

Wolfgang Mozart. 93 

George F. Handel. 97 

Josef Haydn. 100 
























CONTENTS 

(Continued) 

Robert Schumann..103 

Franz Schubert. 107 

Ludwig von Beethoven. Ill 

Peter I. Tchaikowsky. 115 

Christoph von Gluck ...119 

Richard Wagner.122 

Giacomo Meyerbeer.126 

Anton Rubinstein..130 

Franz Liszt.134 

Francis Scott Key.137 

William F. Cody.141 

Mark Twain.145 

Eugene Field .....149 

James F. Cooper.153 

Izaak Walton.158 

Horace Greely.161 

Linnaeus.165 

Louis Agassiz.170 

John Eliot.175 

Peter Cartwright.180 

Stephen C. Foster.184 

John Howard Payne.189 

Van Dyck.196 

Johann Gutenberg.198 

Eli Whitney.204 

Elias Howe. 208 

Richard Arkwright. 216 

Theodore Roosevelt. 222 






























CONTENTS 

(Continued) 


Jefferson Davis.227 

James Monroe.>.. .236 

John Quincy Adams.240 

Benjamin Harrison.245 

Andrew Johnson.251 

Rutherford Hayes.256 

James A. Garfield.260 

Martin Van Buren.265 

William H. Harrison.270 

James Madison.275 

William McKinley.279 

Henry Clay.284 




































































cAmericus X'espucius 

We think of February as the birthmonth of many 
famous men and women, but we seldom think of the 
many illustrious persons born in other months. Few 
of them contain the birthdays of more widely known 
and loved persons than does March. Of these none 
should be given more tribute than Americus 
Vespucius. 

Few Americans pause to give honor to his birth¬ 
day, the ninth of March. Although Vespucius was 
born about four hundred and seventy years ago, in 
1451, his name is more familiar than that of many a 
noted man now living. Both North and South Amer¬ 
ica were named in his honor. He is believed to have 
discovered both continents, but never disputed the 
right of Columbus’ great honor. 

Like so many of our old heroes, little is known 
about his early life except that he was bom in Flor¬ 
ence, Italy, and was educated by his uncle. He must 
9 


10 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


have been a very brilliant lad and fond of adventure, 
and in some way he gained an unusual knowledge of 
astronomy. 

After he finished his education Vespucius engaged 
in trade in his home city, later going to Cadiz. When 
Spain became interested in the explorations of Colum¬ 
bus, he helped to prepare the vessels for the long 
voyages. 

The only account left of the voyages of Vespucius 
is his letters, but many of them have been lost or mis¬ 
translated. Still it is believed that he found the 
Americas before Columbus did, and it is certain he 
took at least four long voyages. These were in 1497, 
1499, 1501, and 1503. Although there is no definite 
account as to the countries visited it is supposed that 
on his first voyage he reached the coast of South 
America, at least a year before Columbus did. In his 
later voyages other parts of both Americas were 
probably visited. It is thought that two of these voy¬ 
ages were for Spain, and two for Portugal. From cer¬ 
tain accounts, it appears that Vespucius was probably 
a pilot or astronomer on the ships of Columbus. 

In 1507 Waldeemuller translated the letters of 
Vespucius, and in them appeared the suggestion that 
the new continents be named America after his given 
name. The title was first accepted by South America 
and later by North America. 

Vespucius died in 1512, but in the naming of the 
two continents his name is immortalized. 



La Salle 


“It is easy,” wrote Parkman about La Salle, “to 
reckon up his defects, but it is not easy to hide from 
sight the Roman virtues that redeemed them. Amer¬ 
ica owes him an enduring memory; for, in his mascu¬ 
line figure she sees the pioneer who guided her to the 
possession of her richest heritage.” La Salle was one 
of those Jesuit missionaries, who next to Champlain 
was the greatest of the early explorers who did so 
much for America. As Parkman says, America is 
forever indebted to La Salle for his unconquerable 
courage. As a tribute to this indomitable French¬ 
man this country has perpetuated his name by giv¬ 
ing it to counties, cities and so forth. But without 
this the memory of his name would still live, and it 
is a name that even now the Indians love and rev¬ 
erence. 

Rene Robert Cavilier, which was La Salle’s real 
name, was bom in Rouen, France, on the twenty-sec- 
11 


12 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


ond of November, 1643. His father was a rich mer¬ 
chant and they had a luxurious home, furnished with 
lovely things that the small boy liked to examine. 
The boy was given a good education, and when he 
became a young man became a teacher in a Jesuit 
school. Here he took their vow and was determined 
to be a missionary, but being still a boy his craving 
for adventures made the school seem dull and unin¬ 
teresting. So he soon gave up his place. A short time 
later his father died and because of his vow to the 
Jesuits the young man could not inherit any of his 
wealth. Even then La Salle had wonderful dreams 
and visions, and not having any money he decided 
that he would go to Canada, where his brother, Abbe 
Jean Cavilier, was a priest at St. Sulplice. 

The young man full of enthusiasm and dreams 
bade farewell to his mother and friends and started 
eagerly on his long voyage. It was at this time that 
he borrowed the name of La Salle from a title of an 
estate belonging to his family. He thought this 
would be a very appropriate and nice sounding name 
for a missionary. Upon landing in America he 
accepted a grant of forest land from the priests, nine 
miles from Montreal. Here he decided to locate as a 
fur trader and as means offered to do missionary 
work also and to teach the Indians about God. He 
induced other settlers to come and live on his land, 
and tried in every way to better qualify himself to be 
a help to the Indians. He studied their customs and 


LA SALLE 


13 


their ways, and it was not long till he knew seven or 
eight of their languages. One day a band of Iroquois, 
who were greatly feared by the white settlers, called 
on La Salle and his settlement, and they enjoyed their 
visit so much that they decided to stay all winter. It 
was during the long winter evenings that they told 
the young man marvelous tales of the Ohio River. 

La Salle had been dreaming all the time of finding 
a shorter passage to Africa, and was sure that the 
river the Indians told him about would lead him 
there. So he went to the governor of Quebec and 
asked permission to explore the wonderful stream. 
The governor readily granted the permission but 
could not give La Salle any money to buy the neces¬ 
sary things. Undaunted, the young Frenchman 
returned to his little settlement and sold his land, and 
with the money bought four canoes and supplies, and 
hired fourteen men to go with him. On reaching 
Lake Superior they met Joliet and his men on their 
way back to Canada and the priests in La Salle’s 
party insisted on going with them. La Salle refused 
to accompany them and with a few followers went 
southward, discovering the Ohio River and probably 
following it as far south as the present city of Louis¬ 
ville. But this is not certain, and the party may not 
have gone that far. 

The spirit of adventure had been aroused in 
La Salle’s nature and for the next two or three years 
he traveled the length of Lake Michigan, crossed its 


14 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


western shores and explored the valley of the Illinois 
River and other nearby regions. During this time he 
became a good friend to many tribes of Indians and 
his influence over them was marvelous. Although he 
was not the missionary he had earlier dreamed of 
being he was still doing the work of a wonderful mis¬ 
sionary in being kind to these wild men. In 1673, 
La Salle obtained from the French court a title of 
nobility and a grant of land, including Fort Fron- 
tenac. This aroused the jealousy of the French in 
Canada and instead of friendly feeling toward the 
young explorer his countrymen felt bitter and 
revengeful. If La Salle had been a man of less great 
and pure determinations, and been filled with selfish¬ 
ness he would have stayed near the Canadian border 
and been a fur trader and probably would have 
become a wealthy man. But La Salle’s ambition was 
to acquire and develop part of this fertile new country 
for France, so in 1677, he returned to Paris and told 
his plans to the court. He was received with honor 
and many of his requests were granted. 

In 1678, La Salle returned to Canada, and during 
the next winter built the Griffin, the first sailing 
vessel that ever floated on the Great Lakes. In the 
summer of 1679, it sailed the Strait of Mackinaw 
and was never again seen, but it had taught the 
Indians some of the marvelous things that the white 
men could do. 


LA SALLE 


15 


It was during the next years that La Salle did his 
greatest exploring and he descended the Mississippi 
River to its mouth, taking possession of the entire 
Mississippi valley for France. He named this region 
Louisiana in honor of the French king, and in 1680, 
built a fort on the Illinois river, which he called Fort 
Crevecoeur. This was the first rude settlement in 
Illinois, and two years later he established the Fort 
of Saint Louis, near the present town of Utica. 
Around this fort La Salle gathered the largest con¬ 
federation of Indians ever controlled by a white man 
for so long a time. 

Having established the fort he organized his 
affairs and gave it in care of his lieutenant, Tonty, 
that he might do other things. La Salle again went 
to France, hoping to get the means and people to 
establish a settlement at the mouth of the Mississippi 
River. In 1684, he again started back to America with 
four vessels carrying one hundred soldiers, beside 
carpenters and colonists and plenty of supplies. After 
a long voyage they reached what La Salle thought 
was their destination and disembarked, but it proved 
to be Matagora Bay. La Salle had had a quarrel with 
the captain of the ship and he had departed as quickly 
as possible, and before the mistake had been recog¬ 
nized. La Salle knew that if aid was not soon 
obtained the little colony was doomed in the vast 
wilderness, and so with a few followers he started 
afoot to Canada. 


16 INSPIRING LI FES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


During all his life in America La Salle had had 
to overcome obstacles and opposition which would 
have overwhelmed one of a less courageous nature, 
so now he did not flinch at the trip before him. But 
the brave young man did not go far before he was 
shot treacherously in the back by one of his men; 
one of the men whom La Salle would have died 
to save. 








Ppbert ‘Peary 

The name of no modern explorer is more famous 
than that of Robert Edwin Peary. Adventure holds 
a magic attraction for all, and with reverence we 
admire the men who venture into a wilderness never 
penetrated before by a human being. 

Robert E. Peary was bom in Cresson Springs, 
Pennsylvania, May 6, 1856. It may be imagined that 
the small boy had scarcely learned to walk before his 
bright eyes were exploring every tempting nook and 
crevice, and with the passing of the years his love for 
adventure grew. Unlike the lives of so many of our 
distinguished men, Peary’s childhood was not a 
struggle with poverty, and he had excellent oppor¬ 
tunities to obtain an education. 

After finishing his public school education, Peary 
entered Bowdoin College. His genial, courageous tem¬ 
perament made him a great favorite, and his adven¬ 
turous nature continually kept him busy searching 
17 


18 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


for new thrills. In 1881 he entered the Civil Engi¬ 
neer Corps of the United States navy, and from 1884 
to 1888 he was employed by the Government as first 
assistant engineer, and later as chief in surveying the 
projected Nicaragua Canal. 

The young man’s love of adventure was gratified 
for a time, but not satisfied, and when in the latter 
part of 1886 he was sent to Greenland, his joy was 
unbounded. With one person he ventured into the 
interior of Greenland. All of his love for adventure 
thrilled him and increased his desire to take up Arctic 
research work. After his return he finished his sur¬ 
vey work, but gave up the thought of making civil 
engineering his life’s work. 

In 1891 Peary set out at the head of an expedition 
to explore the northern regions. Taking six com¬ 
panions he started for northwestern Greenland to 
study the habits and life of the Eskimo. On this trip 
he discovered Independence Bay, and after a sledge 
journey of exciting adventure, he reached the north¬ 
eastern coast. He grew to love the climate and the 
frozen land. Feeling the North calling him, he con¬ 
tinued to follow this urge. He discovered that the 
supposed southern part of Greenland was an island, 
and not a peninsula as it had been supposed to be. 

On his return to the United States Peary wrote a 
book about his two northern trips, which was printed 
under the name, “Northward Over the Great Ice.” 
The same year he set out again for the Arctic 


ROBERT PEARY 


19 


with the avowed intention of discovering the North 
Pole. He was gone for four years and many false 
reports that his ship had been lost came to the States. 
Although Peary did not discover the North Pole on 
this journey, he made other important discoveries, 
journeying farther north than any white man had 
previously gone. 

Peary’s young wife, who was also fond of adven¬ 
ture, accompanied him on several of his exploring 
trips, and his eldest daughter was born in the Polar 
regions. The Eskimos called her affectionately “Lit¬ 
tle Snow Bear.” 

The explorer returned from his third expedition 
in 1902, and began planning and building a ship espe¬ 
cially for his next trip. It was christened “The 
Roosevelt.” When fully equipped he started north 
again in 1905, with the interest and the good wishes 
of the whole world going with the expedition. After 
journeying to the northern coast of Grant Land, 
Peary left his ship and part of the equipage, continu¬ 
ing the trip on sledges. Although he was forced to 
turn back from privations he established another 
“new far north” record. 

Returning to this country he wrote another book 
of vivid description, “Nearest the North,” which 
appeared in print in 1907. After resting himself, and 
again equipping “The Roosevelt,” Peary left on 
another expedition in 1908. The ship was again left 
on the northern part of Grant Land, and Peary and 


20 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


his companions continued the journey on ice. Dis¬ 
couraged, one after another of his companions turned 
back. Supplies grew shorter and shorter, but Peary 
continued northward. Only four Eskimos and one 
negro were with him when, on April 6, 1909, he dis¬ 
covered the North Pole. 

His adventurous spirit appeased at last in its 
quest, Peary returned to his ship and on to this coun¬ 
try. He was greeted as a hero, promoted to rear- 
admiral, and Congress voted him their thanks. 

After the declaration of the World War in May, 
1917, Peary was made Chairman of the National 
Aerial Patrol Commission organized under the con¬ 
trol of the navy department. This brave man died on 
February 22, 1920. 




‘David Livingstone 

Of the birthdays that come this month, none 
deserve to be honored more than the nineteenth 
of March, the natal day of David Livingstone, the 
first pioneer missionary. Because he did more for 
the advancement of men than any other man, the 
natives still reverence his name. 

Doctor Livingstone was not only a missionary, 
but an explorer, and a noble man of indomitable 
courage. Through his pleas he awakened the whole 
world to the plight of “Darkest Africa.” 

David Livingstone was born in Blantyre, Scot¬ 
land. His parents, like those of so many of our 
heroes, were very poor, so the boy went to work in 
a cotton factory, when only fourteen years old. The 
work was hard for a young boy, but he kept 
struggling to educate himself, never losing an oppor¬ 
tunity to add to his knowledge. Later he supported 
himself while taking a course in medicine at Ander- 
21 


22 INSPIRING LI FES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

son College, Glasgow. This was of great value to 
him in his later travels. His own struggles made 
him deeply interested in others, and his love for 
adventure urged him to offer his services to a Lon¬ 
don Missionary Society. 

At that time there were even fewer persons who 
were eager to give their lives, or part of them, for 
the advancement of others, than today. So Living¬ 
stone’s offer was eagerly accepted, and he was sent 
to Africa. The young man was rather disappointed 
for he had hoped to have been sent to China. 

He was a man of unattractive and uncouth 
appearance, but no more noble and courageous man 
ever lived, and his life in the wilderness of Africa 
was a continual struggle. Livingstone was gifted 
with a captivating and charming manner, which 
helped him to win the confidence and love of the 
natives. He won the friendship of all the chiefs, 
which is a difficult thing to do, and went safely 
where no white man had ever gone before. They 
learned to trust and honor him so much that they 
affectionately called him “Little Doctor,” a name of 
which Livingstone was always proud. 

At a little mission station in Bechuanaland Liv¬ 
ingstone joined Moffatt, an elderly Englishman, and 
became acquainted with his charming daughter, 
whom he married. Afterward she accompanied him 
on several of his travels, and took a keen interest in 
his work, helping him wherever she could. 


DAVID LIVINGSTONE 


23 


Livingstone traveled over one-third of Africa, 
and the value of his thirty years of exploring in this 
continent is still of great worth to the world. In 
1849 he traveled as far north as civilization then 
extended, and then went on beyond the Tropic of 
Capricorn, discovering Lake Ngami. 

In 1852 he started on another exploring expedi¬ 
tion, which took him to the little known country 
around Zambezi. The journey was a hard one and 
he was severely wounded in a fight with a lion. 
Nearly exhausted he journeyed farther finding the 
Victoria Falls. He then returned to civilization to 
rest awhile before starting on another trip. 

During the periods between the expeditions Liv¬ 
ingstone wrote several books, telling in clear, forcible 
words of his travels and experiences. These books 
are “Missionary Travels”, “Researches in South 
Africa” and “Narrative of Expedition to the Zambezi 
and its Tributaries.” 

Soon after returning from Zambezi, Livingstone 
was appointed the British consul at Quilimane. At 
the same time he was appointed leader of an expedi¬ 
tion to explore Eastern and Central Africa, and on 
this trip Lake Shirwa and Lake Nyassa were the 
principal discoveries. 

In 1866 Livingstone started another exploring 
expedition to discover the true source of the Nile 
River. On this trip the Serapula River, lakes Moeru 
and Bangweolo were found. This was the most diffi- 


24 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


cult of all his expeditions, and for over three years 
nothing was heard from him, or about him. A New 
York newspaper sent out a young explorer, by the 
name of Stanley, to try to find out what had hap¬ 
pened to Livingstone. 

Stanley met Livingstone at Ujiji on the tenth 
of November, 1871, and gave to him some letters 
and much information. The two men spent four 
months together, equipping Livingstone for another 
expedition. A friendship that lasted the rest of their 
lives formed between them. Rested and in better 
health, Livingstone took thirty men and left to 
penetrate farther into the interior. The natives 
deserted him, and discouraged Livingstone turned 
back, finally finding the way to a friendly little 
village on the banks of Lake Bangweolo. 

The years of suffering and hardship had weak¬ 
ened him, and there he died in 1873. According to 
their custom the natives took his heart and buried 
it at the foot of the tree, under which he died. His 
body was preserved and taken to Zanzibar, from 
where it was sent to England and buried at West¬ 
minster Abbey. 



Montgomery < Pife 

Many of our cities, rivers and states were named 
from Indian words, or from some explorer or promi¬ 
nent person. Many of our mountains and peaks 
were named in honor of the person who discovered 
them, as is the case of Pike’s Peak. 

Pike’s Peak was found on the twenty-third of 
November, 1806, by Zebulon Montgomery Pike, a 
soldier and explorer. Pike was bom in 1779, in 
Lamburton, New Jersey. His father was a soldier, 
and at the age of fifteen the boy enlisted in his regi¬ 
ment as a cadet. He was steadily promoted, and in 
five years was appointed first lieutenant. 

The first expedition for which Pike became 
famous was the one that ended in the finding of the 
most noted peak in the Rocky Mountains. He 
started out to explore the head waters of the Mis¬ 
sissippi river, and his search led him into Colorado. 
Seven miles from the city of Colorado Springs he 
25 


26 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

found the peak that bears his name. It rises 14,108 
feet above sea level. Beautiful trees and luxuriant 
vegetation cover the side of this peak to a height 
of 11,700 feet, while the top is surmounted with 
snow. 

Lieutenant Pike climbed part way up the peak, 
was frightened and turned back, declaring no one 
could reach the top. It was not till in 1819, that 
Major Long’s expedition climbed to the top of the 
peak. One can now easily and safely travel to the 
very top on horseback or on a cog-railroad, nine 
miles long. 

After the expedition Pike wrote a book about his 
exploring trip, and although it is authentic it is not 
well written. 

In the beginning of the War of 1812, Pike took 
an active part, and his valor and courage made him 
a very brave leader. In the attack on York, Canada, 
he was killed by fragments of rock shattered by the 
bullets of the British. In the finding of Pike’s Peak, 
Zebulon Pike has left a lasting monument to his 
memory that will never die. 



John c PaulJones 

“Tell you a story,” repeated Uncle Bert, as his 
nephew climbed up on the arm of his chair. “And 
what shall it be about?” 

“Please tell me about that great sea fighter you 
were going to tell me about. The one whose birthday 
is the sixth of July, just like mine is, but you said he 
was born many years ago,” reminded Allen Spaits. 

“So I did,” agreed his uncle. “Well, John Paul 
Jones, one of the most dauntless sea rovers and 
fighters who ever lived, was bom in 1747 in a queer 
little Scottish town with the almost unpronounce¬ 
able name of Kirkcudbrightshire. His parents were 
very poor and his father worked as a gardener in the 
gardens of a rich man, but almost as soon as the little 
lad could walk he showed his fondness for ships, 
water and the things which belong to the sea. As he 
27 


28 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


grew older he would sit for hours listening to the 
tales which sailors would tell. Because the small boy 
had to work whenever he could he did not get to go 
to school very much, but he read a great deal, and he 
learned much about the different parts of the world 
by listening to the old sailors and fishermen talking. 
John Paul was the boy’s real name, and after he came 
to America he added the name of Jones because of 
the great kindness a man by that name did for him.” 

“But how did he get to America?” asked Allen. 

“I will tell you about that by and by,” answered 
his uncle. “When John was twelve years old his par¬ 
ents left the gardens and the boy was sent to a small 
town to work in a shop, and he spent every one of 
his spare moments watching the glistening sails of 
ships. He determined that some day he would go to 
sea and be a sailor, so the next year when he had a 
chance to go on a ship to Virginia after a cargo of 
tobacco John was very happy. He liked the new 
country and began to hope that some day he could 
live in Virginia.” 

“Did he ever?” questioned Allen. 

“Yes, for a time he lived in America, but most of 
John Paul Jones’ life was spent on the sea and he 
was made captain before he was twenty years old. 
By and by one of John’s brothers came to America 
and lived on a beautiful farm and every time that the 
Captain came to Virginia he visited his brother. For 


JOHN PAUL JONES 


29 


a time after his brother’s death the brave young cap¬ 
tain lived on the farm.” 

“Did he like being a farmer?” demanded Allen. 

“Not as well as roving on the waters, so as soon 
as the Revolutionary War broke out Captain Jones 
offered his help to the government, and he was made 
an officer on a ship named the Alfred. He was the 
first man to raise an American flag on a battleship. 
Soon Captain Jones was made a commander of a 
little war sloop and sailed up and down the Atlantic 
coast looking for the enemies’ ships. He captured 
several vessels and destroyed others which would 
have done much harm if they had landed. It was on 
a trip to France that he was nicknamed the sea 
rover, because some people thought he tried to bum 
an English town.” 

“But he wasn’t a mean rover, was he?” interro¬ 
gated Allen. 

“No,” asserted his uncle, “and he will ever be 
known as one of the most fearless and bravest of 
American fighters. When he returned from France 
he was given the command of five small ships, one 
of which he called the Bon Homme Richard, and for 
a time he again took up his patrol along the eastern 
coasts. One day there was a desperate fight with a 
large English fleet and when they asked him to sur¬ 
render Captain Jones cried, ‘I have not yet begun to 
fight,’ even though the ship he was on was sinking. 
All of the ships were so close together that the guns 


30 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


touched, and the English had many more men. It 
was a wonderful battle and the Americans won. 
After that the young sailor was honored by every¬ 
one.” 

“Was that all he fought?” asked Allen. 

“No, he fought at least twenty-three naval bat¬ 
tles, but when peace was signed he went back to his 
farm,” explained his uncle. “But five years later he 
entered the Russian army, later resigning to go 
as United States Consul to Algiers, but when he 
reached Paris he became very ill. He died in that city 
on the eighteenth of July, 1792 , and he was buried 
with great honor. About twenty years ago the coffin 
containing his body was brought to America and 
buried at Annapolis.” 




< 7 S(athan Hale 

** . . . imprisoned in the viewless winds. 

And blown with restless violence about 
The pendent world.” 

So has one person written about the grave of 
Nathan Hale, for the exact place where this young 
patriot is buried is not known. And although a tomb¬ 
stone has been erected in his honor in the City 
Hall Park in New York City, probably near the spot 
where he was executed, and another statue honors 
his memory in Hartford, Connecticut, his grave may 
be neglected. In the whole history of our country 
there is no record of a life more beautiful in sacrifice, 
yet perhaps so little honored as is that of Nathan 
Hale. 

Nathan Hale was born in Coventry, Connecticut, 
on the sixth of June, 1755. He was the sixth of twelve 
children, having eight brothers and three sisters. As 
may be expected his father was a man of great piety 
and patriotism, also very industrious. He was a 
farmer and magistrate and a deacon in the church, 
31 


32 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


and several times he was representative in the gen¬ 
eral assembly. He taught his children the highest 
ideals and principles, and we know that Nathan’s 
mother must have been a sweet lady with high 
morals and standards. The family were of the Puri¬ 
tan faith, and the children were taught accordingly. 
The household was orderly and Godly, in which the 
Bible ruled and the family prayers never failed. So 
from his very babyhood Nathan was brought up “in 
the fear of God” and with a fine sense of duty. 

Even when still a baby Nathan loved the beauti¬ 
ful scenery around him, and this love increased as he 
grew older. As a boy there was nothing he liked to 
do better than fish and hunt, and no boy could leap 
as far or run as fast, as he. He was very clever, too, 
and made the most wonderful toys for the other chil¬ 
dren. He liked to study too, and as soon as he learned 
to read he was a good student. Little is known about 
his school days, but after much pleading he succeeded 
in getting his father’s promise to send him to college. 
Nathan and two of his brothers were placed under 
the care of Doctor Joseph Huntington, pastor of the 
home church, to prepare them for the ministry and to 
enter college. 

Nathan was a tireless student and never failed to 
take advantage of opportunities. When he was only 
sixteen years old he entered Yale College. Not much 
is known of his college life, but that he was an indus¬ 
trious student and a general favorite. It is said that he 


NATHAN HALE 


33 


was very fond of sciences and always stood at the head 
of his class in these studies; he liked languages also. 

In September, 1773, Nathan graduated from Yale 
and began teaching school in East Haddam, Connec¬ 
ticut, in order to earn money to better prepare him¬ 
self for the ministry. A little old lady said of him at 
this time, “Everybody loved him, he was so sprightly, 
intelligent and kind,” and added “so handsome.” He 
was five feet and ten inches tall and well proportioned, 
having a good full chest, bright blue eyes and light 
complexion. He was vivacious, amiable and charming. 
Sparks said of Hale, “No young man of his years put 
forth a fairer promise of future usefulness and celeb¬ 
rity; the fortunes of none were fostered more sin¬ 
cerely by the generous good wishes of his asso¬ 
ciates or the hopes and encouraging presages of his 
superiors.” 

Hale spent the winter in East Haddam and in the 
spring he was called to teach in a select school in 
New England. Here he had thirty pupils and they 
learned to love their ardent, patriotic teacher as much 
as his college associates had. Here the young man 
was teaching when on the nineteenth of April, 1775, 
the country was summoned to take up arms. As soon 
as the Boston Express brought the news to New 
London the citizens called a meeting. In glowing 
speeches and resolutions their patriotism was given, 
and it was determined that Captain Colt’s Independ¬ 
ent Company, the only uniformed soldiers in the 


34 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


place, should march to the scene of hostilities the 
very next morning. 

Nathan Hale was among the most patriotic and 
vigorous speakers at the meeting. “Let us march im¬ 
mediately,he urged, “and never lay down our arms 
until we obtain our independence.” And straightway 
he enrolled as a volunteer and the next morning dis¬ 
missed his pupils. To his father he wrote, “a sense of 
duty urges me to sacrifice everything for my coun¬ 
try,” and thinking he would be disappointed in his 
not pursuing theological work Nathan added the 
promise to take it up again later. His father was a 
real patriot, and had often gone so far as to forbid 
his family to use any wool raised on the farm that it 
might be woven into blankets and clothes for the 
army. So he readily assented to Nathan’s going to 
war, and the young man enlisted on the sixth of 
July. 

Hale was appointed a lieutenant in the Third 
Company of the Seventh Connecticut Regiment, and 
on the third of August, Hale’s company and another 
were stationed at New London where it was thought 
the British would attack. On the fourteenth of Sep¬ 
tember the two companies were ordered to march 
to Boston, and from the twenty-third of December 
to the twenty-seventh of January Hale was given 
a vacation, which he spent in visiting friends in 
Connecticut. On the first of January, 1776, Nathan 
received the appointment of Captain in the Nine- 


NATHAN HALE 


35 


teenth Regiment of Foot, and the last of January he 
and his men were sent from Winter Hill to Roxbury. 
In April the troops were ordered to New York. Dur¬ 
ing this time nothing especially exciting or conspicu¬ 
ous happened, all being sieges and counterplots. Hale 
was often given perilous and hazardous duties to do, 
and he worked hard. He was often in charge of 
advanced guards, and sometimes so near the enemy 
he could see their signs. 

Little record is left of the doings of the army 
through these days, but one incident is recorded. A 
British sloop, laden with supplies and guarded by 
sixty-four guns, anchored in the East River. After 
some consultation Captain Vandfut and Hale decided 
to capture the vessel, which seemed a perilous task 
to accomplish. At the hour they had agreed upon the 
men assembled and crossed the river in a boat, and 
carefully boarded the ship. Hale went to the helm and 
the other men kept the British in the hold. The boat 
was safely steered to the warf and chained, and the 
clothes and food distributed. 

After the Battle of Long Island the American 
forces became greatly discouraged. They had little 
food and the poorest clothing, while the British 
seemed to have much money and good food. During 
this time the Americans tried vainly to get some 
hints of what the British intended doing next, for 
they realized that if they could not find out the next 
move their enemies would make they would be lost. 


36 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


At last the Board of Officers agreed to Colonel 
Knowlton’s suggestion to try to find some officer that 
would act as a spy and go into the enemies* camp and 
find out their plans. This was not only an ignomi- 
nous but hazardous task, for no one is looked upon 
with more contempt than a spy, no matter for what 
good and noble cause this work is being done. Knowl- 
ton appealed to all the officers for help and pleaded 
for someone who knew something about the country, 
military plans and so forth to go. For a long while 
no one answered to his call. To be a hated spy is a 
terrible task for anyone to do, and most of all for an 
officer, so the idea to get anybody to do this work 
seemed hopeless. An old French sergeant was asked 
to go and he answered, “I am ready to fight the Brit¬ 
ish at any time and place, but I do not feel willing to 
go among them to be hung like a dog.” 

A gloom settled over the men, and Colonel 
Knowlton stood in a hopeless, despairing attitude. 
There seemed nothing anybody could do, for none of 
them cared to go, and then a clear voice that thrilled 
all who heard it, said, “I will undertake it.” And Cap¬ 
tain Hale in all his young, strong, promising man¬ 
hood came forward. His fellow officers at once 
pleaded with him not to go, he must not be sacrificed 
for this work, they told him, and when his family and 
friends heard of his offer they joined in their suppli¬ 
cations. But to all of them Hale responded calmly, “The 
soldier should never consult his fears when duty calls.” 


NATHAN HALE 


37 


About the middle of September, with orders from 
Washington, and carrying clothes for a disguise, 
Nathan Hale with his most intimate friend, Hemp¬ 
stead, started out on his journey to the British camps. 
When dressed in his disguise Hale wore a round, 
broad-rimmed hat and a plain suit of citizen’s brown 
clothes, in imitation of a Dutch school master. 

It can partly be fancied through what great 
anxiety, fatigue, and perils the young man must have 
passed after parting with his friend. Hale must have 
noticed the smallest details along his way, in this way 
hoping to be able to find his way back again to where 
a boat was to meet him. As soon as he got in the ene¬ 
mies’ country he took notes of their fortifications and 
the arrangement of different objects. These notes he 
folded and placed between the soles of his pumps. It 
has been proved that several days must have elapsed 
between the time of Hale’s parting with his friend 
and his capture, though just what happened during 
this time is not known. Before the young man 
reached New York City part of the British Line had 
moved two miles above the city to Kip’s Bay, while 
General Howe with one portion of the troops still 
remained in the city. 

Long Island was covered with British, and it 
must have tried even Hale’s clever ingenuity to pass 
through all those troops of Highlanders, English, 
Waldeckers, Hessians, tories, rebels, refugees and so 
forth without being recognized. But he passed safely 


38 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

through the midst of all this and it is known he had 
returned as far again as the shores of Huntington, 
where the boat was to meet him, when he was cap¬ 
tured. When he reached the shore he saw a boat ap¬ 
proaching and believing it was the one sent for him 
came from his hiding place only to see it was a Brit¬ 
ish boat. Hale tried to run back to shelter, but was 
summoned to stop. Glancing back he saw that the 
whole crew was standing with their muskets pointed 
at him, so he boarded the little vessel. The British 
men treated him very kindly for they did not suspect 
he was anything but the school master he appeared 
to be. But when he reached New York and was care¬ 
fully examined the papers showing various fortifica¬ 
tions and other war plans were found in his pumps, 
and when it was found that he was a spy he was 
treated with little respect 

Open and sincere by nature when Captain Hale 
saw that he could not escape from his enemies he con¬ 
fessed that he was a spy. That twenty-first of Sep¬ 
tember, while the British burned the greater part of 
New York, Hale stood calm and fearless and heard 
General Howe make the decision what should be done 
with him. He was taken out and a short time later 
he gave his life for his country, and just before he 
died he said those wonderful words that we have 
often heard, “I only regret that I have but one life to 
give for my country.” 



z/lnthony V^yne 

It is queer how some persons become better 
known by their nicknames than by their own names, 
and how well they grow to fit a character. “Mad 
Anthony” was one of these names which appropri¬ 
ately describes the handsome, fearless, energetic man 
that Anthony Wayne was when he became a national 
hero. Quite as interesting as the odd nickname was 
the manner in which it was given the daring young 
soldier. The nickname was first given him by a wit¬ 
less circuit rider who used to stop in Wayne’s camp, 
and when he came near the young soldier would 
shake his head, muttering “Mad Anthony! Mad 
Anthony!” So well did it suit the character of 
Wayne, and so appropriately describe the fierceness 
with which he fought that the troops adopted the 
name and after the storming of Stony Point he was 
better known as “Mad Anthony” than by his own 
name. 


39 


40 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


It is hardly conceivable that such an energetic 
man was ever a baby, and perhaps that was the rea¬ 
son he was bom on New Year’s Day in 1745. He was 
bom in Easton Township, Chester County, Pennsyl¬ 
vania, in the days when each person born in this coun¬ 
try was either a staunch patriot or a cowardly traitor. 
His uncle was Wayne’s first school teacher, to whom 
he continued going till he was sent to the Philadel¬ 
phia Academy, which he left when he was seventeen 
years old. 

Wayne was very fond of arithmetic and devoted 
most of his time to mathematical studies, finding 
every problem full of interest, and the harder the 
problem was to solve the better he liked it. When he 
completed his education, Wayne returned to Easton 
and opened a surveyor’s office. He soon had many 
patrons who relied upon his good judgment, and 
when he was only twenty years old he was sent by 
the government to Nova Scotia to locate a grant of 
land for the king. So well did the youthful surveyor 
do the work that he was chosen superintendent of the 
settlements, which position he filled till 1767. At that 
time he married the daughter of Benjamin Primrose 
and returned to Easton again as a land surveyor. 

At the beginning of the Revolutionary hostilities, 
Wayne raised a volunteer corps and in six weeks was 
commanding a regiment. Congress gave him the 
appointment of colonel and he was dispatched with 
his volunteer troops to the northern army then invad- 


ANTHONY WAYNE 


41 


ing Canada. No more spirited leader could have been 
found than this handsome, goodly proportioned man 
with dark hair and dark fiery hazel eyes. His cour¬ 
ageous, frank, generous manners and cordial ways 
made him a very general favorite. 

“Mad Anthony” as he was even then generally 
called, was selected to take part in the terrible attack 
on Trois Rivieres, and a short time later received an 
appointment as brigadier general. The next spring at 
the eager request of the government he was per¬ 
suaded to join the main army and was placed in com¬ 
mand of a brigade. Wayne was as prudent as he was 
ardent, and no better leader could have been found. 
He commanded a division at the Battle of Brandy¬ 
wine, which was fought on the eleventh of Septem¬ 
ber, 1777. 

This was one of the most important battles of the 
war, and Wayne held his position dauntlessly, hurl¬ 
ing the enemy back again and again. But the 11,000 
American troops could not keep the 18,000 British 
soldiers from crossing Chadd’s Ford, and they were 
forced to retreat, letting the enemy enter Phila¬ 
delphia. 

On the evening of the third of October, 1777, 
Wayne led the right wing of a division that marched 
on Germantown. When morning came Washington 
ordered: “To arms! To arms!” It was a dark, foggy 
morning, and “Mad Anthony” drove all before him, 
and for a time the Americans were successful. The 


42 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

fog grew thicker and became so dense the soldiers 
could not see each other and everything was thrown 
into wild confusion, which was followed by a general 
retreat. 

The next winter Wayne gathered food and other 
provisions for the army. It was the brilliant attack of 
Stony Point on the midnight of the fifteenth of July, 
1779, which best illustrates Wayne’s invincible and 
indomitable character, and made him a national hero. 
Stony Point was thought to be impregnable by the 
defender as well as the enemies, being built on a high 
hill on two sides of which the Hudson River flows, 
and on the other side lay an almost impenetrable 
marsh, which every tide overflowed. The hill was 
surrounded by a row of abatis, and on top stood 
many cannons ready to be fired. The fort was 
guarded by six hundred trained British soldiers, hav¬ 
ing been captured by the English in May of the same 
year, and much desired again by the Americans. 

"General, if you will only plan it, I will storm—” 
said Wayne to his commander-in-chief, who readily 
agreed to do what was asked of him. After careful 
reconnoitering of the position and the surrounding 
ground the attack was planned. At the head of a 
command of light cavalry, Wayne started at twilight 
from Sandy Beach, fourteen miles from the Point. 

Leading his men noiselessly in two long columns 
across the morasses, they came near to the sentries 
who at once gave the alarm, when a slight noise dis- 


ANTHONY WAYNE 


43 


turbed them. In a moment the British were firing 
amid the stirring roll of drums. With Wayne’s cheer¬ 
ful words urging his soldiers on the Americans 
charged on, making a hole in the abatis they marched 
with ready bayonets up the steep hill to the cannons. 
Wayne was at their head, the most fearless of them 
all, when a musket ball struck him in the head. He 
raised himself on his knee and cried: “March on! 
Carry me into the fort, for I will direct the head of 
my column.” Some soldiers are as heroic and cour¬ 
ageous as their leaders, and some of Wayne’s men 
carried him on, and in thirty minutes the Point sur¬ 
rendered and five hundred and forty prisoners were 
taken. A lighthouse and fog bell tower now stand on 
Stony Point. 

After the battle “Mad Anthony” was applauded 
as a great hero, and Congress presented him with a 
gold medal. His wound was not severe and he was 
soon sent to break up a settlement of British banditti 
on the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers, later going 
into army quarters for the winter at Morristown. 
Here many of the troops mutinied and over a thou¬ 
sand started to Congress with their grievance, but 
Wayne rode after them and tried to persuade them 
to rejoin the army. They refused to do this and when 
the British heard about it they tried to get the men to 
join them. Every man was a true patriot and refused 
to join the enemy, promising Wayne that they would 
return to the army if they were needed. 


44 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

In 1781, Wayne joined Lafayette in Virginia, and 
later he joined the army of General Greene. “Mad 
Anthony” led an attack against the whole British 
army at Green Springs, and later fought them and 
the Indians in Georgia. With his troops he was occu¬ 
pying Charleston when it surrendered, and in 1783, 
he was made a brevet major general for his brave 
services, retiring a year later. 

Because of the hardships and terrible endurances 
that Wayne often suffered in army life his health 
became very bad, and after leaving the army he went 
to Philadelphia to live. In gratitude for his services 
to the state, Georgia gave him a grant of land, which 
he was forced to sell on account of debts. He was 
also made a representative of Georgia to Congress. 
Then for a short time he lived on a farm, but in 1792, 
he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Ameri¬ 
can army, and the same year he fought the Indians 
on the Ohio River. When the Indians were subdued 
he was appointed governor commissioner to treat 
with the northwestern Indians. After finishing con¬ 
ducting the treaty of Greenville, which gave the 
United States a great tract of land he was attacked 
with gout. He died a few days later in a little hut on 
Presque Isle in Lake Erie, and was buried in his 
native town. His grave is visited by hundreds every 
year. 



Oliver H. ‘Perry 


“We have met the enemy and they are ours,” are 
the words by which we know Oliver Hazard Perry 
best. In those few words he expressed his own 
indomitable character and invincible courage. He 
was bom in Newport the twenty-first of August, 1785. 

Oliver’s father was a great sailor, and won dis¬ 
tinction for his brilliant naval services. Oliver was 
his eldest son and it was probably but natural that 
he should inherit many of his father’s characteristics. 
Living near the coast, while still a baby, Oliver 
delighted in watching the water, the great waves 
chasing each other, and the boats and ships plying 
along the shore. He grew to love the ocean better 
than anything else in life, and when he grew older 
with his brothers made toy boats, which they sailed 
near the banks. 

The young boy was sent to private schools, but he 
had no great fondness for study or books. One day 
45 


46 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


when he was only ten years old he was watching his 
mother unpack a box that his father had brought 
from India. He startled his mother by saying, 
“When I get big I am going to be a sailor like 
father,” and nothing could change his determination. 
He had a younger brother, Matthew, who was as 
fond of the water as he was himself, and who later 
through his naval efforts opened up the civilization 
of the world to medieval Japan. As Oliver grew older 
he became a pupil of Count Rochambeau, a notable 
Frenchman, who had served in the American Revolu¬ 
tionary War, and who had great influence over his 
pupils. He was a good disciplinarian and a fine man¬ 
ager, and Oliver learned to love and admire him. 

When Oliver was only fourteen years old his 
father permitted him to sail with him as a midship¬ 
man on the U. S. frigate, General Greene. Dressed in 
his new uniform the boy felt very proud and happy, 
and he was contented that at last he could sail on his 
beloved waters. He worked hard and diligently over 
his studies, knowing that only through knowledge 
could he ever hope to rise higher, even as a sailor. 
The ship sailed for one of the Havana stations, and 
the trip was a great delight, and an interesting one to 
the adventure-loving boy. 

In 1800 the General Greene with the same officers 
and crew was sent to cruise in the waters around the 
island of Haiti. The inhabitants of the island of 
Jamaica were then in revolt, and were on unfriendly 


OLIVER H. PERRY 


47 


terms with France. The independence of the island 
seemed of some benefit to United States commerce, 
so the frigate helped to make the fort surrender. The 
boy delighted in the excitement and showed his 
dauntless bravery and skill. 

The next year Oliver and his father parted, the 
boy going along with a crew sent on a sloop and 
three frigates to the Mediterranean Sea. They were 
to look after the Tripoli countries, who were commit¬ 
ting piracy. So successful were they in driving the 
pirates from the seas that their depredations soon 
ceased. Perry’s courage, experiences and daring gave 
him added merits and he was promoted, thereafter 
rising rapidly. 

In 1803 when Perry returned to the United States 
he was acting lieutenant, and the next year he 
returned to the Mediterranean Sea under the same 
commander who had subdued the Tripoli pirates. A 
few days before Perry’s nineteenth birthday he was 
appointed commander of the Nautilus, a trim little 
schooner. In her he had many daring adventures, for 
all the crew were brave young men, who vied with 
each other in doing deeds of boldness. 

In 1808 when the United States became estranged 
from England, Lieutenant Perry, as he was then 
called, was given command of eighteen gunboats at 
the Newport Station, and he cruised in these for two 
years. In 1810 he was given the command of the 
Revenge, and in it saved the entire crew of the Diana, 


48 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


which brought him the compliments of Congress. 
Early in 1811, while out cruising the Revenge sailed 
into a dense fog, and was dashed into the breakers 
and thrown upon a reef, where it was destroyed, 
much to Perry’s grief. 

He returned to Newport and was married to Miss 
Mason, a talented and brilliant young lady. In a 
short time war was declared on England and Perry 
was given command of a flotilla of gunboats to pro¬ 
tect the coast along Rhode Island. He heard fre¬ 
quently of an organization of naval forces on the 
Great Lakes, under the command of Commodore 
Chauncey, and he was eager to join them. He asked 
permission to join the Commodore, and after consid¬ 
erable trouble was ordered to go to Sackett’s Harbor 
on Lake Ontario, where part of the outfit was being 
made ready. 

In March, 1813, Perry was ordered to Black Rock, 
where he was to take command of five vessels and 
take them to Erie. At a place on the lakes called 
Long Point the British had two vessels, called the 
Lake Provost and Queen Charlotte, ready to fire on 
the American squadron when it passed. But on a 
dark night Perry succeeded in taking the five vessels 
safely by, passing so near the English fleet that they 
nearly touched. 

In May of the same year Perry succeeded in get¬ 
ting some vessels of his own, and the Niagara and 
Lawrence were soon launched, followed by the Ariel, 


OLIVER H. PERRY 


49 


Caledonia, Congress, Porcupine and Somers. At last 
the ships were ready, and he must get the men to sail 
them. He received permission to call for volunteers, 
and from those who offered themselves he picked 
eighty of the most promising looking ones. Along 
with him was his younger brother, a lad of fourteen 
years. In the harbor of Malden on one of the lakes 
lay the British fleet, and Perry was given orders to 
try to coax them out in the middle of the water. He 
had nine ships and fifty-four guns, and made many 
maneuvers to tempt the English, but they, under¬ 
standing his plans, refused to move, so the plan was 
abandoned. Perry’s ships were anchored in Put-in- 
Bay, and the men began to be restless, waiting for 
action. On the tenth of September, just before sun¬ 
rise the young lieutenant heard a loud knock on his 
door, and bid the person enter. He was told the Brit¬ 
ish ships were in sight, and he was up in an instant, 
giving commands to his men to prepare the vessels 
for a struggle. 

The next thing Lieutenant Perry did was to run 
up a large blue flag on which was written the last 
words of James Lawrence, “Don’t give up the ship.” 
The banner could be seen for a mile, and every boat 
cheered and the men felt encouraged. The English 
fleet came bravely on as fast as the wind permitted, 
little thinking of the danger awaiting them. Dawn 
came, and the fleet came on; the gray of the morn¬ 
ing light passed and at fifteen minutes of twelve, the 


50 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

Detroit, the first of the English vessels came near to 
the American fleet and fired. The ball struck the 
bow of the Lawrence, another shot from the trim 
English vessel and a man fell, still another and a 
lieutenant was hurt. 

Then the command was given and the Lawrence 
began firing back, but they lacked the right wind, 
and were driven in the midst of the British firing. 
The boat was riddled and dead men began to pack 
the deck, the scene grew more terrible, still Perry’s 
brave commands were heard and heeded. He had no 
thought of surrender, and above the boom of the 
guns, and the rattle of musketry floated the blue flag 
with its encouraging words. Desperate, weary, 
Perry determined to keep to the ship till the wind 
permitted the rest of the fleet to come near, and his 
men imbibed his courage. Then the Niagara came 
along side, and Perry took down the blue ensign and 
got into a row boat. The British saw the flag come 
down and thinking the Lawrence was ready to sur¬ 
render began to cheer, but Perry had already raised 
it on the Niagara. The Somers and another vessel 
came up, closely followed by the Scorpion and the 
other smaller boats, and the battered Lawrence was 
permitted to drift farther back. The fighting began 
in real earnest, and the English ships tried to escape, 
but the swift sailing Scorpion and Trippe chased 
them. It was an exciting race, but the British shipi 
were forced to surrender, which was the first time in 


OLIVER H. PERRY 


51 


the history of England that they had lost an entire 
squadron to a man of twenty-seven! When Perry 
saw that the victory was to be theirs he took the 
banner again from the Niagara and went to the 
Lawrence, and over the wounded and dead placed 
the flag. It was on this battered wreck he scribbled 
his famous note on the back of an old letter to 
General Harrison. It read: 

“Dear General: We have met the enemy and 
they are ours. Two ships, two brigs, one schooner, 
and one sloop. 

“Yours, with great respect and esteem, 

“O. H. Perry.” 

By his manner, his perfect fairness and honesty 
Perry endeared himself to everyone, even to the 
English and the prisoners. On the twelfth of May 
a great ceremony was held at Put-in-Bay in honor 
of the victory and Perry was awarded a gold medal, 
the rank of commodore, with an extra three months’ 
pay and the prize money by Congress, and many 
other valuable gifts. He was a man who must be 
always busy and his next duty was on land, where he 
fought as a volunteer to General Harrison. The Eng¬ 
lish had lost all their vessels on the lakes, but still had 
forts along the Canadian shores, and on the twenty- 
second of September Commodore Perry landed a 
force of 1,200 infantry on a small island about twelve 
miles from the forts. The next day they landed on 
Canadian shores, and the English hearing who was 


52 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

in pursuit of them decided to retreat, General Harri¬ 
son followed. On the second of October Commodore 
Perry offered his services as aid to General Harri¬ 
son, and was accepted, starting with an army to 
Sandwich. The English heard of his coming and 
destroyed everything, but the Americans followed 
quickly and captured them at last while destroying 
a bridge. In his report General Harrison wrote, “Com¬ 
modore Perry assisted me in forming the troops for 
action, and his appearance cheered and animated 
every breast.” 

In May, 1814, the Commodore returned to New¬ 
port to his wife and four children, but he was not per¬ 
mitted to stay long at home. There were still many 
English vessels along the Atlantic coast, and he was 
given command of a naval station. But there was no 
active fighting, and the dullness chafed on his adven¬ 
turous spirit. Later he was given command of a little 
fort, that protected Baltimore, and if captured would 
put that city in danger. He gave his best efforts to 
protect the fort. In 1815 he was busy getting the 
Java, an older vessel, ready for sea, for the call of the 
waters was still with him. The next year the Java 
sailed to join a squadron at Port Mahon. John Heath 
was the captain of the vessel, and one day he quar¬ 
reled with Commodore Perry. As his subordinate 
Perry promptly offered an apology, but none was 
accepted, and he was dismissed, and in March of the 
next year returned to Newport. In July of the same 


OLIVER H. PERRY 


53 


year Captain Heath came to Newport and demanded 
satisfaction of Perry, asking that a duel be fought 
and arranging for it. Perry agreed to go to Washing¬ 
ton on the nineteenth of October, and they met on a 
road near the Hudson. The Captain fired a pistol but 
none was fired in return. 

“Are you satisfied ?” asked Commodore Perry, 
handing his unused pistol to one of his men, and tak¬ 
ing the arm of another he hastened to his carriage. 
Everyone rejoiced, and admired Perry more than 
ever. 

In 1819 the pirates began to trouble sailors on the 
Carribean Sea, and Commodore Perry was sent in an 
old frigate, with another vessel, to fight them. There 
was yellow fever all along the shore, and while at 
port in Venezuela Perry contracted the malignant 
disease. His crew took him aboard and began to sail 
away, but on the day of his thirty-fourth birthday he 
died, just as his vessel was entering the Port of Spain 
on the island of Trinidad. They buried him in the 
wilderness with full military honors, and seventeen 
years later his body was brought back to Newport, 
where it lies under a granite monument on a hill that 
overlooks the water he loved so well. 



E/than c/lllen 

As the hero of Fort Ticonderoga, Ethan Allen is 
enshrined in every patriotic boy’s heart, and his 
courage is the admiration of every true soldier. He 
was born the tenth of January, 1738, in Litchfield, 
Connecticut, and from the first was a wide-awake 
baby, eager for adventure. As he grew older he was 
the leader among the boys and devised all kinds of 
games to entertain them. So fond was he of sports 
that he had little time for his studies, so he seldom 
had his lessons, but the teachers could not help lov¬ 
ing the courageous, fun-loving boy. With all his 
healthy, out-of-door activity, Ethan was still a great 
dreamer, and had many queer ideas which grew with 
him, making him a man with fantastic opinions. 

Ethan had several younger brothers, and they 
reverenced him as a great hero long before he 
became a national one. They lived in the time when 
every young person had to learn to be depended upon 
54 


ETHAN ALLEN 


55 


and to defend life and property. The freedom of the 
wilderness helped to make them grow into noble men 
eager to help build up the vast new country. 

In 1763, Ethan and his four younger brothers 
went to the neighborhood of Bennington, Vermont, 
to live, being among Vermont’s first settlers. The 
part of Vermont in which they settled was known as 
the “New Hampshire Grants” until after the Revo¬ 
lutionary War, and was claimed by both New York 
and New Hampshire. Trouble arose between the two 
claimants and it was referred to the English king to 
be settled. He decided in favor of New York, and 
that State tried to make the settlers pay twice for the 
land. 

This injustice of New York made the settlers 
angry and they sent Ethan Allen, one of their lead¬ 
ers, to Albany to try and arrange to settle the quar¬ 
rel. Soon sheriffs were sent out to try forcing the 
pioneers from their lands, which made the quarrel 
grow more bitter. In order better to defend some of 
their property, the young men joined in an armed 
corps with Ethan Allen as their colonel. They called 
themselves the “Green Mountain Boys.” For several 
years things went on while the struggle grew, then 
the Green Mountain Boys tried to send some of the 
New York settlers who were causing trouble from 
the neighborhood. For this seven hundred and fifty 
dollars reward was offered for Allen’s arrest. 


56 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


Allen liked the excitement and the hazards of his 
adventurous life, and his dreams and ideas became 
more fantastic. He was looked upon as a quaint, 
peculiar man. One of his oddest theories was his 
belief in the reincarnation and the transmigration of 
souls. His opinion was that he had at one time lived 
on the earth in the form of a white horse. 

The pioneer life in Vermont helped to make the 
patriotism grow stronger in Ethan Allen’s heart, and 
when the patriots at Lexington fired on the British 
troops the Green Mountain Boys were ready for serv¬ 
ice. At Fort Ticonderoga there was a large store of 
ammunition and only a small garrison to take the 
Fort, but Allen and his Green Mountain Boys arrived 
first. 

Allen had eighty-three men and arrived at the 
Fort on the tenth of May, 1775. Quickly and silently 
he led his men up the height on which the fort stood, 
and went on through the undefended gates where he 
was challenged by a sentry and one soldier. Going 
up to the house in which Captain Delaplace was 
housed he ordered him in a stern voice to surrender. 

The captain startled, jumped out of bed, and 
asked in whose name such a demand was made. 

“In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Con¬ 
tinental Congress,” roared Allen, waving his sword 
over the frightened captain’s head. So scared was 
the British leader that he surrendered the fort with¬ 
out more words or trouble. 


ETHAN ALLEN 


57 


Leaving a small garrison to defend the fort, Allen 
and his band of rugged Green Mountain Boys joined 
Arnold, who later became so famous as a traitor, and 
together with their men went in boats to St. John’s, 
another British city, which was also captured. But 
they were too weak to keep it, and, discouraged at 
their failure but still yearning for adventure, the 
troops returned to Fort Ticonderoga. 

A short time later Ethan Allen went to Philadel¬ 
phia, at that time the country’s capital, where he 
received the thanks of Congress for the capture of 
Fort Ticonderoga. When the expedition to Canada 
was organized, he was sent by General Schuyler to 
find out the opinions of the Canadians on the rebel¬ 
lion, in which he was successful. Soon afterward he 
was sent north again by General Montgomery. 

Allen’s love for adventure was always his weakest 
point, and many times overbalanced his wiser judg¬ 
ment. After obtaining the information that General 
Montgomery wanted, Allen thought he would help 
him further by calling for volunteers, and in a week 
two hundred and fifty Canadians joined him. Major 
Brown had heard that Montreal was poorly defended 
and decided to make an attack on the city. He con¬ 
fided his plans to Allen and asked him and his men 
to join him. Major Brown failed in his attempt to 
cross the river to meet Allen at the appointed time, 
but undaunted he decided to make the attack alone. 
Before he could storm the city a much larger British 


58 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


army attacked him and he was forced to surrender. 

All but thirty-eight of the Canadian volunteers 
deserted Allen, and at about the same time the Brit¬ 
ish general, Prescott, discovered who Allen was and 
began treating him cruelly. So instead of being such 
a great help to General Montgomery, as he had 
dreamed of being, the young colonel was a worry. In 
a short time he was sent in handcuffs to England, 
where he was an object of curiosity on account of the 
capture of Ticonderoga. 

After a short stay in England, Allen was brought 
back to America and shut in prisons and jails in Hali¬ 
fax and New York. After much suffering, he was 
paroled and given some liberty. On the third of May, 
1778, he was given in exchange for other prisoners 
and was one more free. Although his adventurous 
spirit had been weakened it had not quelled his love 
for adventure and he hastened to join the army of 
Washington, but affairs in his own State called his 
attention. 

Allen was appointed lieutenant colonel in the 
Vermont militia, and was sent at once to Congress 
to secure the State's admission to the Confederation. 
Some of the Congressmen could not decide and hesi¬ 
tated about giving their opinions. Meanwhile some 
British commanders heard of Allen’s mission and 
tried to persuade him to induce the Vermonters to 
restore the authority of the crown. Ever a true 
patriot, desiring to do only that which would help 


ETHAN ALLEN 


39 


his people the most to advance, Allen was undecided 
what to do, and this indecision made many accuse 
him of treason. 

After the Revolutionary War ended Allen lived 
quietly, and during these years he wrote a book on 
natural religion, entitled “Reason the Only Oracle 
of Man.” He died on the thirteenth of February, 
1789, and it is now only as the “Hero of Fort Ticon- 
deroga” that this brave, daring man is remembered. 




Charles c Pinckjiey 

“Millions for defense, but not one cent for trib¬ 
ute,” so spoke Charles Pinckney, and it is by these 
famous words that this courageous American patriot 
is best known. But we seldom think of February as 
being the birth month of this great hero, and in rever¬ 
ence we remember to pay tribute to Lincoln, Wash¬ 
ington, Lowell, Longfellow and to a few others, but 
Pinckney’s birthday passes unobserved. 

Charles Colts Pinckney was born on the twenty- 
fifth of February, 1746, in Charleston, South Carolina. 
Not much is known of his childhood, for folk did not 
know then what a famous man he would later become, 
but he must have been a bright and attractive baby 
with many charms. Strangely enough the small 
southern boy was given most of his education in Eng¬ 
land, and there he learned many of the quaint Eng¬ 
lish courtesies. With his warm, genial nature this 
made him grow into a mannerly young man and he 
60 


CHARLES P1CKNEY 


61 


was liked by all who met him. But even though he 
spent most of his school days in England he still 
remembered America and loved the wild freedom of 
the new country, so he returned to the United States 
in 1769. He took up the practice of law in Charleston. 

Pinckney was a brilliant lawyer and soon had a 
large practice. He was greatly interested in politics 
and soon became attorney general of the province. 
This was an honorable position for a young man to 
hold and won him even greater respect and more 
patrons. Because of his interest and enthusiasm he 
was chosen as a member of the first provincial con¬ 
gress called by South Carolina to discuss the matter 
of enlisting in the hostilities that had begun between 
the colonists and England. Young Pinckney felt that 
now he was grown up and that his boyhood days were 
over, for there was trouble on every side and true 
American patriots were needed everywhere. 

By this time Pinckney had built up a splendid 
practice, but he was eager to give up his work for the 
cause of his country, and enlisted. He was appointed 
colonel of a regiment on the twenty-sixth of October, 
1776, and was among the first to enter the war. Dur¬ 
ing the war he served as aide-de-camp to Washington, 
a great honor for so young and untrained a soldier, 
but everybody had found out that they could trust the 
young man. He was with Washington at Brandywine 
and Germantown, and took a prominent part in the 
attack of Savannah. His companies learned to love 


62 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

him deeply for his patriotism and cheerful, courage¬ 
ous ways. At the fall of Charleston he was made a 
prisoner for two years ,which were sad ones to him as 
well as to the rest of the army. On his release he was 
made brigadier-general, because of his good work in 
the other fights. 

At last the peace came that all of the patriotic 
Americans had prayed and hoped for, and Pinckney 
returned to his law practice in Charleston. His fel¬ 
low men looked upon him as a real hero and he was 
later chosen as one of the members of the Constitu¬ 
tional Convention sent to Philadelphia. He was also 
one of the members of the convention that framed the 
constitution for the state of South Carolina ,so he 
had a big part in helping to make our first laws. 

In 1796 Pinckney was appointed minister to 
France to succeed Monroe. This was a delightful 
surprise to the young lawyer, for though he loved his 
country like most young men he had always cher¬ 
ished a desire to travel. He took part in the negotia¬ 
tions between France and the United States that 
followed the war, and here he showed his true patri¬ 
otic spirit. He was offered a bribe by the French, 
but indignantly refused, quoting the words which 
have made him famous ever since, “Millions for 
defense, but not one cent for tribute.” 

In 1804 he was chosen as a candidate for the presi¬ 
dency against Jefferson, but as there were not many 
Federalists at that time he lost. In 1808 he was again 


CHARLES PICKNEY 


63 


a candidate against Madison, but his party had not 
grown and he failed to be elected. But these losses 
did not affect his cheerful, optimistic spirit and he 
found many other things to do. 

Even at the time when every man was thrilled 
with true patriotism Pinckney was regarded as a true 
patriot, and years have only added to his valor. He 
died when he was seventy-five years old, and like so 
many of our bravest heroes his grave is neglected and 
unknown, but his spirit lives on. 




'aul c Rgvere 


“So through the night rode Paul Revere, 

And so through the night went his cry of alarm 
To every Middlesex village and farm— 

A cry of defiance and not of fear.” 

So Longfellow wrote about Paul Revere, an 
American hero, dear to the heart of every boy, and an 
inspiration to the patriotic young man. Few Ameri¬ 
cans have had a more beautiful tribute paid them 
than has been given to Paul Revere in the poem 
written about him by Longfellow. 

Paul Revere was born the first of January, 1735, 
in Boston, Massachusetts. He grew up in the atmos¬ 
phere and times that made staunch patriots of every 
noble man. When other boys hardly knew the mean¬ 
ing of country, this small boy’s heart was beating 
with love for his. After finishing his school educa¬ 
tion, Paul began studying to be an engraver, and later 
the honor of engraving and printing the first 
paper currency in Massachusetts. 



64 


PAUL REVERE 


65 


When Paul Revere was a young man, the col¬ 
onists rebelled at the tax the English put on their im¬ 
ports. At last the English government became 
alarmed at the way the colonists were acting, and 
recinded the taxes on everything except tea. At 
Charleston the tea was taken from the English ships 
and stored in damp cellars, where it soon spoiled. 
Finding that the colonists refused to buy the tea, the 
British had their ships at New York and Philadelphia 
sent back to England, but the authorities refused to 
let the tea ships at Boston return. When the Boston 
men heard about this, they called a patriotic meeting, 
and Paul Revere was one of the leaders. It was de¬ 
cided that the tea should never be brought ashore. 
The night of December 16, 1773, a number of patriots, 
disguised as Indians, boarded the vessels and emptied 
three hundred and forty-two chests of tea into the 
water. Paul Revere was one of the most enthusiastic 
of the leaders and workers. 

On their way home from the famous “Boston Tea 
Party,” as this expedition has ever afterwards been 
called, Admiral Montague, a prominent British 
leader, was visiting at a friend’s house, and, hearing 
the men come, raised a window. 

“Well, boys, you have had a fine night for your 
Indian caper,” he laughed. “But, mind, you’ve got to 
pay the fiddler yet.” 

“Oh, never mind,” replied one of the patriots, 
“never mind, Squire! Just come out here, if you 


66 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


please, and we’ll settle the bill in two minutes.” The 
admiral probably thought it best to let things be, and 
he quickly put down the window. 

Soon after the Tea Party the Patriots of Boston 
formed a league, known as the Boston League, who 
pledged themselves to watch every movement of the 
British. Again Paul Revere showed the glowing 
patriotism in his heart by becoming a member of the 
league. 

On the eighteenth of April, 1775, General Gage, a 
noted British general, mustered eight hundred men 
whom he ordered to march to Concord, which is 
twenty miles from Boston, and destroy some military 
stores. And after that to go on to Lexington and 
destroy other military supplies, and arrest the “arch 
rebels,” John Hancock and Samuel Adams. His plan 
was at once suspected by members of the Boston 
League, and it was to circumvent the British that 
Paul Revere made his famous ride. The daring 
patriot rode from Charleston to Lexington, rousing 
the country to arms, and, according to Longfellow— 

“Said to his friend: ‘If the British march 
By land or sea from the town tonight, 

Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch 

Of the North Church tower as a signal light; 

One if by land and two if by sea, 

And I on the opposite shore shall be, 

Ready to ride and spread the alarm 
Through every Middlesex village and farm, 

For the country-folk to be up and to arm'.” 


PAUL REVERE 


67 


The countryside was aroused, and when Gage’s 
men reached Lexington they were confronted by 
armed men, and the first shot of the Revolutionary 
War was fired. Marching to Concord, the British 
found more armed men, and the military supplies all 
removed. Paul Revere was taken a captive, but was 
soon released. 

This great American patriot died in Boston in 
1818, and the house in which he lived is still standing. 




John c Brown 


JOHN BROWN, A REAL HERO 

“I am waiting the hour of my public murder with 
great composure of mind and cheerfulness,” wrote 
John Brown from the prison where he was awaiting 
death after his famous raid, and continued, “feeling 
the strong assurance that in no other possible way 
could I be used to so much advantage to the cause 
of God and humanity, and that nothing that I or all 
my family have sacrificed or suffered will be lost.” 
There never lived a man with more visionary, heroic 
and impractical ideas than those of John Brown, yet 
no man struck a greater blow for the freedom of the 
negro. 

John Brown was bom on the ninth of May, 1800, 
in Torrington, Connecticut. Five years after the boy 
was bom the Brown family went to Hudson, Ohio, 
where they were among the first settlers in that wild 
pioneer country. It was not long till the courageous 
68 


JOHN BROWN 


69 


John lost all fear of the Indians, woods, wild animals 
and other things that would frighten most small 
boys. By the time he was six years old John was wan¬ 
dering alone throughout the woods surrounding his 
home as fearless as any grown man and filled with the 
spirit of daring adventure. His parents were very 
poor and so for most of the year he traveled about 
barefooted and bareheaded, and often hungry. 

By the time the boy was twelve years old the sec¬ 
ond war with England had commenced, and he found 
plenty of work to do. He often drove herds of cattle 
for miles through the wilderness, and on one of these 
trips he was the guest of a slave holder. The man 
praised the boy highly for his courage, but John so 
resented the cruel way in which he treated his slaves 
that the boy vowed eternal vengeance against slavery. 
Thus surroundings and circumstances ever pushed 
the young boy forward in preparation of the daring 
deed he committed in later years. 

The boy’s mother was deeply religious and taught 
her children to be devout Puritans. John knew the 
Bible better than did most ministers of that time and 
he believed himself God’s chosen bearer of the sword 
of Gideon. During all his childhood the boy dreamed 
of the time when he could be a minister and travel 
about the wild country and tell the people of God, but 
he was forced to give up this dream on account of 
weak eyes. His high ideals and fine principles never 
left him, and he possessed a marvelous nature that 


70 INSPIRING LI FES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


attracted men toward him. He never used tobacco or 
wine in all his life, nor would he play cards and listen 
to the light talk that was the pastime of so many of 
the young men at that time. 

During his later boyhood and young manhood 
John tried doing various things, and under his 
father’s guidance became an excellent tanner and 
sheep and cattle raiser. Over and over again he lost 
all of his property, often through accidents and some¬ 
times through his friends. Meanwhile he had married 
and out of the nineteen children that came into their 
home, only eight of them lived after the father. Mrs. 
Brown died in August, 1832, and in 1843, three of the 
sons were buried on the same day. 

After the failure of his wool business in Spring- 
field, Massachusetts, Brown went in 1845 to North 
Elba, New York, where he lived as a farmer. At this 
time Brown was nearly six feet tall, rather slender, 
but his straight supple body told of unusual strength 
and had about it a determined air. His thick gray hair 
gave his face a rather kingly look, which was empha¬ 
sized by his heavy full beard, which failed to hide his 
broad mouth and tightly closed lips. He was always a 
busy, active man, for nature had made him for vigor¬ 
ous work. He never complained or talked about 
wrongs done him, but was greatly excited by any 
wrong done to the negro slaves. 

It was during the time that he lived at North Elba 
that Brown made the acquaintance of Gerrit Smith, a 


JOHN BROWN 


71 


distinguished Abolitionist, who had set apart some of 
his large possessions to build a colony for free 
negroes. Being so deeply interested in the negroes 
Brown offered to live among them as their friend and 
adviser, which he was permitted to do. But for some 
reason this strange undertaking did not prove a suc¬ 
cess, but Brown learned many things from his expe¬ 
rience. By this time the Kansas-Nebraska bill had 
been passed, which permitted Kansas settlers to 
decide whether the state should be slave or free terri¬ 
tory. Several years before Brown’s four oldest sons 
had gone to Kansas, so now he took his gun and fol¬ 
lowed, hoping to drive out the partisans of slavery. 

Brown made his home in the new state along the 
eastern border near a region that the Indians called 
the “Swamp of Swamps.” In December, 1855, Brown 
with a large force of armed Missourians, who passed 
for Kansas militia, marching under the authority of 
the Federal government went to Lawrence. The 
people of the little city were prepared to meet the 
men, but they drove up in their lumber wagons in 
front of the Free States Hotel. There were rods fixed 
along the side of the clumsy wagons and from these 
bayonets stuck into the air, while the men stood 
upright with rifles in their hands. Among the fighters 
were four of Brown’s sons, and in the hottest of the 
fight Brown commanded his men to “Kneel down and 
pray.” Finally the fight was stopped, but the adven¬ 
ture only made Brown more determined to free the 


72 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

slaves. On the thirtieth of August, 1856, Brown again 
led a troop of thirty men to attack four hundred 
armed Missourians and did not let them pass until 
he had killed thirty and wounded fifty men. From the 
fight at this town Brown was nicknamed “Ossawa- 
tomie Brown.” 

Late in the autumn of 1856, Brown returned East, 
trying to secure help and sympathy for the western 
people by speaking in many places. Although his 
speech was rough and often ungrammatical Brown 
touched the hearts of the people and sowed fertile 
seed that later helped to kindle the Civil War. In June 
of the next year the fiery leader returned to Kansas, 
already having selected Harper’s Ferry as the place 
where the first blow of his wild and daring scheme 
would be struck. Alive with this glowing ambition 
Brown made several raids which stirred the entire 
country, and a reward was offered for his capture, so 
he went back East. 

Toward the end of June, 1859, a mysterious Mr. 
Smith and his two sons came to Harper’s Ferry on 
the pretext of looking for a farm. On the night of the 
sixteenth of October, John Brown and his two sons, 
who had impersonated Mr. Smith and his two sons, 
and a little group of men seized the national arsenal 
at Harper’s Ferry, believing this would result in an 
immediate uprising of the slaves. The little company 
took the guards away and locked Colonel Washing¬ 
ton up, and at midnight shot to announce that the 


JOHN BROWN 


73 


first blow had been struck for the freedom of the 
slaves. By and by a train went through the narrow 
gap, and soon armed bodies of men marched against 
Brown on all sides. The daring leader in great calm¬ 
ness repeated, “If God be for us, who can be against 
us?” Robert E. Lee, the leader of the Confederate 
armies, a short time later regained possession of the 
arsenal and took Brown and others of his companions, 
who had not escaped, prisoners. When Brown was 
asked why he had started the wild raid he simply 
replied: “We wanted to free the slaves.” Nothing, 
not even when he was tried at Charlestown, convicted 
of treason, and sentenced to be hung on the second of 
December, disturbed Brown’s calm composure. When 
his second wife heard of her husband’s capture she 
sent him this message: “Tell my husband I can spare 
him for the sake of the cause. I can resign him to 
God, sure that it is His hand that strikes the blow.” 

In an address twenty-two years later at Harper’s 
Ferry Frederick Douglas said: “If John Brown did 
not end the war that ended slavery, he did at least, 
begin the war that ended slavery. If we look over the 
dates, places and men for which this honor is claimed, 
we shall find that not Carolina but Virginia, not Fort 
Sumpter, but Harper’s Ferry and the Arsenal, not 
Major Andersen, but John Brown began the war that 
ended American slavery, and made this a free republic 

.When John Brown stretched forth his arm 

the sky was clearer—the armed hosts of freedom 



74 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

stood face to face over the chasm of a broken Union, 
and the clash of arms was at hand.” 

A year after Brown’s famous raid South Carolina 
seceded from the Union, and in May, 1861, the second 
Massachusetts Regiment of Infantry was raised, 
which were the men that first sung that familiar old 
song, “J°lm Brown’s body lies mouldering in the 
grave, his soul goes marching on.” 

Shortly after the execution of John Brown at 
Charleston, West Virginia, his body was taken to 
North Elba, New York, where it was buried not far 
from his old home there. A large boulder lies nearby, 
and a crumbling headstone, that was originally 
erected to the father of John Brown, marks his and 
one of his son’s graves. 



‘Philip Sheridan 

With foam and dust the black charger was gray. 

By the flash of his eye, and his nostrils* play 
He seemed to the whole great army to say, 

“I have brought you Sheridan all the way, 

From Winchester, down to save the day!” 

—T. Buchanan Read. 

Everyone has admired this spirited poem written 
in commemoration of Sheridan’s famous ride. Yet 
more than the famous ride and the beautiful poem do 
we admire Philip Sheridan, the brilliant American 
soldier, who was probably the greatest Union cav¬ 
alry leader of the Civil War. His career was one of 
a series of almost unbroken victories. Sheridan was 
one of the three Union officers who obtained the rank 
of general in the War of Secession, the others being 
Grant and Sherman. 

Philip Henry Sheridan was born on the sixth of 
March, 1831, in Albany, New York. His parents had 
just emigrated from Ireland, and the little boy inher¬ 
ited from them many of his best traits. Shortly after 

75 


76 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

Philip was born his parents went to Ohio to live. 
Even as a child Philip was very fond of horses and 
adventure, and had many an exciting fight with the 
small boys in the neighborhood. Even then, as in 
after years, his bravery and good judgment made him 
the victor. 

When he grew old enough Philip was sent to the 
common schools, and being naturally endowed with 
a keen intelligence progressed very well, but he loved 
better to wander in the great out-of-doors than sit 
still in the school room. His school days were full of 
adventure and activity, and when they were finished 
he was given work in a country store. But the high- 
spirited boy was not content with the dull life, and 
yearned to get out in the woods and open country. 
One can imagine how joyful Sheridan was when in 
1848 he received an appointment to attend the Mili¬ 
tary Academy at West Point. All his chums envied 
him, and he felt that his greatest desire had been 
granted. He proved to be a better student at the 
Academy than he had been at school, and loved his 
studies, but did not graduate till 1853, having been 
suspended a year on account of breach of discipline. 

To add to his happiness the young graduate 
received a commission in the First Infantry and was 
assigned for duty along the Rio Grande. He served 
along the frontiers of Texas and in Oregon till 1861, 
and every day grew fonder of the life and his horses. 
During this time he served with distinction in several 


PHILIP SHERIDAN 


77 


Indian wars, proving that he was a born soldier and 
leader. The same year he was appointed captain for 
his services and ordered East. His services here were 
a good training for the work he was to do in after 
years. In the East he served as Chief Commissary of 
the Army of the Southwest Missouri, taking part in 
the Pea Ridge Campaign. Afterward he served on 
the staff of General Halleck, and in April, 1862, was 
appointed Colonel of the Second Regiment of Cavalry 
by the governor of Michigan. This regiment was 
then serving in Halleck’s army. 

As Colonel Sheridan won distinction and after the 
battle of Booneville, in which he defeated a large 
force of Confederate cavalry, he was made brigadier- 
general of volunteers. Sheridan’s rise in the army 
was rapid, and he won one promotion after another 
in rapid succession. 

In July Sheridan was ordered to the Army of the 
Cumberland in Kentucky. His soldiers loved him, 
and he loved them, which perhaps was one of the rea¬ 
sons that he won so many brilliant victories. At first 
Sheridan was given command of a brigade, but was 
quickly given the leadership of cavalry, and later 
changed to a division in McCook’s corps. He won 
new honors at Perryville and Stone Ridge, and 
at the latter place it was only because of his courage 
and the desperate fighting of his men that the army 
was saved. 

By 1863 Sheridan was one of the most brilliant 


78 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

leaders in the war and he was appointed major-gen¬ 
eral of volunteers and given a division and command 
in the battles of Chickamagua and Chattanooga, and 
also took part in the Battle of Missionary Ridge. At 
this time Grant said he was seeking “active and ener¬ 
getic men full of spirit and vigor and life,” and find¬ 
ing all these qualities in Sheridan, appointed him 
commander of the cavalry of the Army of the Poto¬ 
mac. 

Sheridan did some valuable service in the Wilder¬ 
ness Campaign, and through his help greatly hastened 
the fall of the Confederacy. On the ninth of May, 
1864, Sheridan started a raid against Lee’s lines of 
supplies and while on this march met with and 
defeated Stuart’s cavalry. At Yellow Tavern and 
other places Confederate railroads were destroyed, 
and at Richmond the outer defenses of the city were 
entered. On the thirty-first of May the Confederate 
Army was driven out of Old Cold Harbor, and Sheri¬ 
dan and his men held the place against several infan¬ 
try assaults until reinforcements came. 

In August Sheridan was ordered to take command 
of the forces in the Shenandoah Valley, and he made 
several daring cavalry rides and completely cleared 
the valley of Confederate forces. But it was the battle 
at Cedar Creek, fought the nineteenth of October, 
1864, that Sheridan accomplished his most famous 
feat. The great leader was at Winchester with his 
gray horse, which was twenty miles from Cedar 


PHILIP SHERIDAN 


79 


Creek, when his keen ears heard the first signs of 
fighting. Jumping into his saddle Sheridan started 
on his famous ride, and as if the horse understood the 
great need of his master he galloped away. Sheridan 
was carried proudly on the sweating, foaming horse, 
and reached the battlefield just in time to change 
defeat into a brilliant victory. This incident so in¬ 
spired T. Buchanan Read that he wrote the throbbing 
poem, which has been an undying memorial to Sheri¬ 
dan’s great ride ever since. 

Sheridan’s wonderful ride won for him in Novem¬ 
ber the promotion of major-general in the regular 
army. In the spring the invincible leader set out with 
ten thousand cavalry and on the twenty-seventh of 
February marched by way of Charlottesville to join 
Grant’s army at Petersburg. Sheridan and his men 
then took prominent part in what led up to the sur¬ 
render of General Lee’s army at Appomattox. 

The country could not pay Sheridan all that his 
brilliant services were worth, but they tried to do all 
they could to compensate him for his great work and 
in 1869 he was appointed lieutenant-general. He 
accompanied the German armies during the Franco- 
Prussian war. In 1883, he was made the commander- 
in-chief of the army. During various periods in the 
reconstruction of Louisiana and Texas he was in 
command of armies in those states. 

In 1888 Sheridan published a book of his personal 
memoirs, and on the fifth of August in the same year 
the brilliant, active man died at Nonquitt, Massachu¬ 
setts. 



John Stari{ 

Every boy would be proud to be given the nick¬ 
name of “Young Chief” by an Indian. We can feel 
sure that Major General Stark was delighted when 
the Indians started calling him that name, for the red 
men never call anybody “chief” whom they do not 
think is brave and courageous. 

Few men who have ever lived are more closely 
connected with history than General John Stark, who 
was born the twenty-eighth of August, 1728, in Nut- 
field, now Londonderry, New Hampshire. His father 
was a sturdy Scotchman, and from him the boy inher¬ 
ited many of his finest characteristics. Shortly after 
John was born his folk went to Manchester to live, 
but they did not like the city so went to Derryfield, 
where John lived till he was twenty-seven years old. 

John’s school days were full of adventure, for he 
was a strong, athletic boy very fond of excitement. 
He and his brother loved to go on long tramps and 
80 


JOHN STARK 


81 


played all kinds of wild games. Even while he was 
still a child the boy was capable of great endurance, 
and as he grew older and stronger he became fonder 
of excitement. So his school days passed filled with 
activity, exciting adventures and thrills. When he 
was a young man he and his elder brother and two 
other young men started on a hunting trip. They 
were going to the northern part of the state, which 
was still a vast forest, for they wanted all the thrill¬ 
ing adventure they could get, and being very good 
hunters were not afraid. The older settlers warned 
them of the many dangers they would encounter, but 
the boys were determined to go. 

The journey was very exciting, and grew more 
thrilling as the four stalwart young men rushed far¬ 
ther and farther into the wilderness. They met many 
different Indians; some were friendly and others were 
not, and finally they were attacked. John was cap¬ 
tured and one of his companions was killed, but his 
brother and the other man escaped. We can fancy 
that at first the young man was scared, but he was too 
brave to be frightened long, and soon became very 
fond of his captors. It was because of his courage and 
endurance at this time that the Indians bestowed 
upon him the name of “Young Chief,” by which title 
he was called by them ever afterward. The Indians 
kept him prisoner for three or four months and the 
young man learned to know many of their traits and 


82 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

much about the forest, then he was ransomed for one 
hundred and three dollars. 

John was very glad to get home again, but 
his love of adventure had not yet been appeased. 
Undaunted by his experience, early the next year he 
went on an expedition to the Androscoggin, taking 
with him the money to give to those who had ran¬ 
somed him. So well did he like this wild life of adven¬ 
ture that for two years he did nothing else but travel 
through the wilderness. 

With the breaking out of the French and Indian 
War the true patriotism in John Stark’s heart made 
him volunteer his services. He was at once accepted 
and appointed lieutenant of a regiment, and spent a 
short time at home. Then he was sent to a garrison 
between Lake George and the Hudson. Here his 
bold, courageous ways won him great favor and he 
was promoted to first lieutenant. The young man 
was very happy at this time for he loved the exciting 
thrill of a soldier’s life. 

In the middle of the winter of 1757 an expedition 
was ordered to go down Lake George, a rather haz¬ 
ardous trip, and Stark was one of the officers chosen 
to command this fleet. After a short trip on the river 
the seventy-four men marched through the wilder¬ 
ness for three days before reaching Lake Champlain, 
where they were attacked by two hundred men. They 
were ordered to retreat and later took part in the 
attack at Fort Ticonderoga. 


JOHN STARK 


83 


Shortly after the attack of Fort Ticonderoga 
Stark returned home, where he married Elizabeth 
Dumbarton, and stayed in Derryfield till the spring. 
As soon as warm weather came he returned to active 
work, which was mostly made up of building a road 
through the wilderness from Crown Point to Num¬ 
ber Four. When the road was finished Stark again 
returned to his home. There was very little fighting 
from that time until the Revolutionary War, and at 
times the young men chafed at the quietness of 
things. 

Stark possessed a strong, kind character, and 
although he was always stern in appearance he was 
frank and patient and full of patriotism. He openly 
denounced the acts of the British, while his elder 
brother joined their ranks and became a colonel. Ten 
minutes after Stark heard the news of the shooting at 
Concord and Lexington he was on a horse and gallop¬ 
ing to Boston, enlisting volunteers. In a short time 
he was made a colonel of one of the regiments, and 
was soon engaged in a battle on Winter Hill. Later 
he was ordered to meet the army in Canada, and was 
surprised to meet it in retreat. 

In December Stark and his men were sent to reen¬ 
force Washington and his troops on the Delaware, 
and he took part in the battles of Trenton and Prince¬ 
ton. As the term of office of some of the sol¬ 
diers who had enlisted expired they became discon¬ 
tented, but Stark pledged his fortune to them if they 


84 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

would re-enlist. His wonderful courage and opti¬ 
mism helped to give the men new courage and made 
them remain true to the country they were fighting 
for. 

When Washington’s army retired to winter quar¬ 
ters Stark retired temporarily from the service, going 
to New Hampshire to his home. He heard that sev¬ 
eral junior officers, who had done no real fighting, 
had been promoted, and becoming indignant at the 
unjust way in which he had been treated Stark 
resigned his commission. 

Congress at last seeing the unjust treatment 
they had given Stark sent him the commission of 
brigadier-general, and when the troops invaded New 
Hampshire he was given command at the Battle of 
Bennington. It was during this battle that Stark said 
the words which have often been repeated since. As 
he saw the troops of British coming, he shouted in his 
clear, strong voice, “There they are, boys—we beat 
them today or Mollie Stark’s a widow!” A tremen¬ 
dous cheering was the only reply that greeted his 
words, but the second reenforcement of the enemy 
was defeated just as the first had been. This 
paved the way for Burgoyne’s surrender at Saratoga. 
Strange as it may seem when one remembers how 
active Stark was that he never received a single 
wound in any battle or skirmish. 

After the Battle of Bennington Stark was greeted 
everywhere with acclaim, and he raised a large force 


JOHN STARK 


85 


which he threw in front of Burgoyne to cut off his 
retreat to Canada. In 1787 Stark was appointed to 
command the northern army stationed at Albany, and 
during the summer he was ordered to Rhode Island. 
In the winter he returned to New Hampshire to raise 
new recruits, and in the spring he returned to his old 
post. 

In the spring of 1781 Stark received the appoint¬ 
ment of commander-in-chief of the northern depart¬ 
ment, and he made Saratoga his headquarters. After 
Cornwallis’ surrender, and the disbandment of the 
army Stark returned to his home, where he died in 
1822. He was buried on the shores of the Merrimac 
River. A plain granite stone marks his grave, on 
which are cut the simple words, “Major General 
Stark.” 



Johann S. Bach 


Bach was the first of the great German musicians, 
and is unequaled as a composer of organ and choral 
music. His preludes and figures for the organ are the 
greatest ever composed. He created a new system of 
fingering which has had great influence on modern 
piano playing. Bach has often been called the “Mas¬ 
ter of Masters,” because his work inspired so many 
famous musicians who came after him. Bach was one 
of the most versatile of all the great composers, being 
a conductor, teacher, organist, pianist, student, com¬ 
poser and musical scientist. He composed pieces for 
the organ, piano, stringed instruments and human 
voice. Of the compositions that he wrote for choral 
purposes his “Saint Matthews Passion,” “Mass in B 
Minor” and “Saint John Passion” are the best known 
and the greatest choral pieces ever written. 

86 


JOHANN S. BACH 


87 


Johann Sebastin Bach was born on the thirty- 
first of March, 1685, at Eisenbach. He was a de¬ 
scendant of a remarkable family in which there had 
been nearly sixty musicians, so it may have been but 
natural that the little boy should love music so well. 
The house in which he was born is still standing, 
near a famous German castle. Bach’s father was a 
famous organist and the Court and Town musician 
of Eisenbach. The boy was given his first musical 
instruction by his father, who was a capable and 
patient teacher. Both of his parents died before Bach 
was ten years old, and he went to live with his elder 
brother Johann Christoph, who was an organist at 
Ohrdurf. Possessing a good voice the little boy was 
admitted to the school of St. Michael without paying 
admission, and the organist helped in his education. 

Bach soon went to Weimer where he played in 
the band of Prince Johann Ernst, later going to Am- 
stadt as an organist. In 1707 he became organist of 
the church of St. Blasius at Mulhausen, and the same 
year married his cousin, Maria Barbara Bach. Three 
of their seven children became well-known musicians. 
In 1708 Bach went to Weimer as Court organist, 
where he began to produce compositions of unusual 
ability. This started a period of great activity for 
Bach, which was occasionally broken into by short 
trips to various cities. In 1717 Bach was appointed 
capellmeister to Prince Leopold of Cothem, and they 
became great friends and went on several journeys 


88 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


together. Returning from one of these trips Bach 
was shocked to find that his wife had been dead 
some time. 

Bach married a second time in 1721, his wife being 
Anna Magdelina Wilkin, a good singer and capable 
musician. Six of their thirteen children became 
musicians, and one, William Friedmann, became the 
greatest organist in Germany after his father’s death. 
Five of Bach’s eight daughters died while still young, 
and none of the girls were musical. 

In 1723 Bach went to Leipsic as conductor of the 
famous Thomasschule there. The Bach home became 
the center of musical activity, and was visited by 
many famous musicians. Among Bach’s most cele¬ 
brated pupils were his own talented sons, all of whom 
received a liberal education, some of them spending 
years studying at universities. 

Bach composed a great many cantatas for every 
feast day in the year, besides many others for special 
occasions, as well as sacred and secular ones, and 
even a few comic compositions. Perhaps his most 
famous cantata was the “Contest of Phoebus and 
Pan.” 

Bach was an indefatigable worker and honors 
came to him rapidly toward the latter part of his life. 
In 1736 he was given the appointment of Hof Com- 
ponist by the Elector of Saxony. In 1747 Bach vis¬ 
ited the imperial court of Berlin and was royally 
received. Two years later the great master’s eyes 


JOHANN S. BACH 


89 


began to fail, and an operation resulted in no im¬ 
provement. Three years later his eyesight came back 
for a short time, but a little later the great man was 
stricken with apoplexy and died in 1750. Few musi¬ 
cians have been mourned more, but his memory lives 
forever in his beautiful compositions. 



Josef Strauss 

Members of the Strauss family, from which Josef 
Strauss descended, were in the public family for 
nearly a century. Some authorities think that it was 
this composer’s father who really created the waltz, 
but whether he did or not his compositions are 
marked for their beauty, their throbbing joy and 
sweetness, just as are his three famous sons’ works. 
It is given to but few parents to have three famous 
children in their family, but this gift the gods be¬ 
stowed in the Strauss family. Josef’s grandparents 
were not musicians, and they did not want Johann, 
his father, to take up the study of music, and so it 
was as Josef’s elder brother Johann said about their 
father: “Father was a musician by the grace of God. 
Had he not been guided by an inner irresistible im¬ 
pulse, the difficulties which confronted him in his 
youth would have pushed him into another path.” 

Josef Strauss was born on the twenty-second 
of August, 1827, in Vienna, his brother, Johann, 
90 


JOSEF STRAUSS 


91 


being two years older and Eduard being eight years 
younger. His two sisters, Anna and Therese, neither 
of whom were musical, were younger than Eduard. 
The mother was the daughter of an innkeeper. Be¬ 
cause of his own hard experiences Johann Strauss did 
not want any of his sons to become musicians, but 
the mother seeing their great talent sympathized 
with them, and while the father was away from 
home helped them to secure musical instruction. The 
father being a professional musician was often gone 
from home for weeks at a time, and when home had 
little time to devote to his family. The three boys 
fairly reveled in music and were quick to learn, aston¬ 
ishing their teachers by their rapid progress and nat¬ 
ural ability. 

It is said that once upon his return to Vienna, the 
elder Strauss was accosted by a friend, who did not 
know that the father did not want his sons to study 
music, and he complimented him upon the progress 
that the boys had made in music. The father hurried 
home and called Johann and Josef in from their play 
and after giving them a hard scolding he commanded 
them to play a duet. The boys were greatly fright¬ 
ened, but they played the best that they could. When 
they finished the father complimented them, for they 
played well, and he was convinced that not only had 
they made a thorough study of music but of his own 
mannerisms as well. Still, he would not consent that 
they should take up a musical career. 


92 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


The small boy made many attempts at composi¬ 
tion, but by and by he began to succeed, and although 
he never became as famous as his father or elder 
brother, he still created some beautiful compositions. 
Perhaps his polka, “Arm in Arm,” is the best known 
of his pieces. He composed a number of pieces with 
his elder brother, of which the “Pizieato Polka” is 
probably the best known. Of the Strauss brothers, 
Wagner, the noted musician, wrote thus: “While the 
Strauss waltzes are not deep in style, yet one Strauss 
waltz often contains more charm, more delicacy and 
more real musical worth than all the toilsome, con¬ 
stricted, factory-made musical products of some 
countries which to me are as inferior as lamp posts 
of Paris are to the towering spire of St. Stephen’s at 
Rome.” 

Josef’s father died in September, 1849, from scar¬ 
let fever and after his death the three sons pursued 
their musical career unhampered. For a time the 
“Strauss craze,” as it was known, struck most of 
Europe, and everybody was playing some of the 
Strauss compositions, drinking in the sensuous mel¬ 
odies as camels drink water after a long trip across 
the desert. During these years Josef traveled con¬ 
siderably and wrote numerous compositions, many of 
which have sunk into oblivion. The three brothers 
together composed over a thousand compositions, 
writing more popular works that century than any 
other musicians. Josef died on the twenty-second of 
July, 1897. 



Wblj-gang Mozart 

Few people leave such beautiful monuments to 
their memories as has Mozart. Dying at the early age 
of thirty-five he yet left behind him nine hundred and 
twenty-two compositions, as some one has said, 
“Each of these is a monument to his genius.” 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as he was christened, 
was bom on the twenty-seventh of January in 1756, 
in Salzburg, Germany. The town had, even at that 
time, been long renowned for its beauty, and its cul¬ 
ture and lovely environment seemed in harmony in 
making a fit birthplace for a great musician. Maria 
Ann was just four years older than Mozart, and at 
the birth of her brother had already displayed great 
signs of a musical talent. As the little boy grew a bit 
older he took a deep interest in his sister’s music les¬ 
sons, given to her by her father, who was a choirmas¬ 
ter. The father early recognizing the boy’s precocity 
93 


94 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

gave him freely of his time and talents and by the 
time he was three years old he was taking daily les¬ 
sons of an hour long. By the time he was five years 
old he was composing short pieces for the harpsi¬ 
chord. 

In 1762 the father took his two children on a 
musical trip through Munich, Vienna, and other im¬ 
portant cities, which proved to be a great triumph. 
In Vienna the children played before the emperor and 
empress, and it is said that instead of bowing to the 
empress, as he had been instructed to do, the little 
Mozart climbed upon her lap and kissed her. This 
seemed to please the great lady very much. 

The next year Paris and London were visited, 
resulting in another marvelous triumph, and the fame 
of the youthful musicians spread rapidly. In London 
the lad was given singing lessons by an Italian 
teacher. On their return to Salzburg, some people 
hoping to prove the boy a fraud, had him locked up in 
a room by himself and told him to write one of his 
compositions. The small boy wrote a very beautiful 
oratorio, which was sung in the archbishop’s church 
several weeks later, proving the genuineness of his 
talent even to the most skeptical. 

In 1767 the Mozart family made a journey to 
Italy, where they were also received with great 
acclaim. It was in Rome that the fourteen-year-old 
boy wrote from memory the long Miserere, a copy of 
which is never allowed to be taken from the church. 


WOLFGANG MOZART 


95 


At Milan Mozart wrote Mitridate, an opera which 
was sung twenty nights in succession. In 1771 the 
little family returned home, remaining there for sev¬ 
eral years. 

In order to have a better opportunity to advance 
his talents Mozart went to Mannheim, where he first 
met the Webers, a family of talented singers. It was 
not long till he became infatuated with Aloysia, the 
eldest daughter, but when he again met her a short 
time later she had married. In 1775 the young man 
wrote an opera for the Munich carnival in which 
every song was greeted with great hand clapping. 

After the death of his mother Mozart again went 
to Mannheim, where he once more met the Webers, 
and this time he became engaged to Constanza, 
a younger sister of Aloysia’s, and they were married 
in August, 1782. Their married life was one of great 
poverty and trial, but it was during the first nine 
years of his marriage that Mozart composed his 
famous pieces, Figaro, Don Giovanni and The Magic 
Flute. In 1788 he composed his well-known sym¬ 
phonies, C Major, G Minor and E Flat, frequently 
called the “most impassioned works in instrumental 
music.” 

Mozart’s later years were spent in Vienna as com¬ 
poser and teacher, and he also gave some concerts, 
anything to help keep himself out of debt. During 
this time he met and made the acquaintance of many 
musicians, and his piano playing was always greatly 


96 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


admired. A touching story is told about the last 
weeks of his life. One day a stranger, wearing a long, 
gray cloak and shrouded in mystery, came to ask 
Mozart to write a “Requiem,” a mass for the dead. 
Needing the money Mozart promised to write the 
composition, and after he had worked on it a while he 
told his wife that he was writing it for himself. One 
winter night he gave his friends explicit directions 
how it was to be finished, and on the fifth of Decem¬ 
ber, 1791, he died. For some reason he was denied a 
Christian burial, and, with twenty other bodies, his 
was carried, on a rainy day, to the poorhouse 
grounds. No one knows where his body lies, but his 
memory is still as beautiful as ever. 



Cjeorge Jl Handel 


February is the birth month of more famous men 
and women than any of the twelve months, and no 
person bom in it is entitled to greater distinction 
than George Frederick Handel. He not only won 
fame as a musician, but as a composer, and his ora¬ 
torios are the greatest that have ever been written. 
What other men born in February, namely, George 
Washington and Abraham Lincoln, did for history, 
Lowell, Longfellow, and Dickens did for the world 
of letters, and Edison did for scientific invention, 
Handel did for music. 

Handel was born in Halle, Saxony, Germany, on 
February the twenty-third, 1685. When only twelve 
years old he made his debut as a musician in the court 
of Berlin, later playing in orchestras at Hanover and 
Hamburg. His music was always applauded. Not 
satisfied with his meager training, in 1706 the young 
man went to Italy to study music. He stayed there 
97 


98 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

three years, during which time his talent developed, 
and his style reached its full maturity. His playing 
was wonderful, and the rich, deep, full notes were 
admired by all, so his name soon became world 
famous. 

After finishing his studies in Italy, Handel went 
to England, where he lived most of the rest of his life, 
composing musical compositions and playing. 

Not until he was appointed the head of the Royal 
Academy did Handel change from the composing of 
operas to that of oratorios. In quick succession he 
wrote forty-two operas, including “Egypt,” “L’Alle¬ 
gro,” “II Penseroso,” “Saul,” “Samson,” and others. 

In 1741 he wrote the “Messiah,” the greatest ora¬ 
torio ever written, for the benefit of the Foundling 
hospital at Dublin. It is said that at the first perform¬ 
ance King George the Second was present, and when 
the great “Hallelujah Chorus” was reached the King 
arose, followed by all the audience. Even now in 
most places it is still the custom to stand when the 
beautiful words of the chorus are reached. No choir 
festival is quite complete, even after so many years, 
without this great chorus. 

Handel took a keen interest in the street cries of 
his time, and many of his best compositions are com¬ 
posed from them. The comic opera “Serse,” from 
which the popular “Largo” is taken, is supposed to 
have had its origin in a little song sung by a comic 
servant disguised as a flower seller on the streets. 


GEORGE F. HANDEL 


99 


Handel was a persistent worker, and worked 
nearly till the day of his death, though for six years 
he was blind. He died in 1759, and was buried in 
Westminster Abbey. Everyone mourned his passing 
from this earth, but in his music he has left a monu¬ 
ment that will never perish, and the memory of his 
beautiful life will live forever. 



Josef Haydn 


The music that Josef Haydn composed is probably 
more familiar to most persons than his name. On 
the thirty-first of March, 1732, this man, who will ever 
live in the hearts of music-loving people, was bom in 
the small, quaint village of Rohrau, Lower Austria, 
and was brought up simply, as all little Austrian girls 
and boys are. He had a noble temperament, and the 
good training helped him to grow into a genial, pure- 
hearted man, whom the small children lovingly called 
‘‘Papa Haydn.” 

From the time he was a tiny baby he seemed pas¬ 
sionately fond of music. He would listen in glee to 
his mother singing, and would cry joyously when he 
heard music. He could play as soon as he was per¬ 
mitted to touch a musical instrument. When he was 


100 


JOSEF HAYDN 


101 


eight years old he was a choir boy at Saint Stephen’s 
church in Vienna, and won considerable recognition. 

Unlike most musical geniuses, he had no hard 
obstacles to surmount, and his career was never a 
struggle. From 1761 to 1790 he was the musical 
director to Prince Esterhazy, and during this time he 
wrote several of his best symphonies, a few operas, 
and a large amount of other music. He was the 
founder of the symphony, one of the most beautiful 
forms of music in existence. 

During the last year of his stay with the prince, 
Haydn met Mozart, who afterward became also a 
wonderful musician, and with Beethoven perfected 
the symphony. At this time there were few who be¬ 
lieved in Mozart’s talent, but Haydn encouraged him 
to study, and believed in his ability. They became 
devoted friends, and their friendship helped them 
through all their lives. 

In 1791 to 1794, Haydn visited in England, where 
he wrote and brought out the “Twelve Grand Sym¬ 
phonies.” Upon his return to Austria he composed 
his oratorio, “The Creation of the Seasons,” one of 
the most beautiful pieces of music ever written. 

Haydn wrote one hundred and twenty-five sym¬ 
phonies, eighty-three quartets, thirty-eight trios, 
twenty-four concertos for different instruments, four¬ 
teen operas, eight oratorios, and many other songs. 
All of his work is characterized by simplicity and 


102 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

beauty, which is the reflection of his wonderful char¬ 
acter. 

After a busy and beautiful life of seventy-seven 
years, he died. The memory of his life still lives, and 
we should honor the thirty-first of March as the 
birthday of one of the greatest and most loved men. 



<: Rpbert Schumann 

“For intellect give me Schumann. Romanticism 
strikes me very forcibly in him. His geniality alike is 
so very great that I lose myself more and more in his 
works in order to estimate fairly the qualities as the 
weaknesses of the new school,” so wrote Moscheles 
about Schumann. 

Robert Schumann as born on the eighth of June, 
1810, at Zwickau, Saxony. His father was a book¬ 
seller, also an author of several books, and at one 
time he was a clergyman, so from him the little boy 
gleaned a great liking for beautiful and sacred things. 
His mother was the daughter of a physician and 
wanted her son to be a lawyer. Few mothers and 
sons have ever been such delightful friends and com¬ 
panions as Schumann and his mother. His mother 
was wise enough to see that it was best to let her son 
choose his own career, and so when he showed signs 
103 


104 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

of great musical talent he was sent to a teacher, and 
made such rapid progress that in three years his 
teacher assured his parents he needed no more 
musical instruction. When the boy was scarcely seven 
years old he started to compose, and by the time he 
was eleven years old he had set the one hundredth 
and fiftieth Psalm to music. The same year he ap¬ 
peared in a public concert and was greatly admired. 
During this time Schumann’s general education was 
not neglected, and in 1828 he left the Educational 
Institute to attend the University where he devoted 
most of his time to philosophy, poetry and music, 
spending much time in studying the old masters 
whom he greatly revered. His father had died two 
years before he entered the University, so the mother 
insisted that her son had to take up a course that 
would prepare him to support himself, so he took up 
the study of law. 

At the University Schumann did little but study 
music, and during the first year at this school he met 
Clara Wieck, who later became his wife, and who was 
the daughter of Friderich Wieck, who soon became 
his music teacher. In 1829 Schumann went to Heidel¬ 
berg to attend the University, there he was advised 
to abandon the study of law and take up music 
instead. After that the young man practiced hours 
every day, soon injuring a tendon in his left hand, 
which ended his practicing. Schumann saw that he 
would have to give up his plans and dreams of becom- 


ROBERT SCHUMANN 


105 


ing a pianist and began studying to become a com¬ 
poser instead. In 1832 he returned to Leipsic, where 
he lived in the Wieck family, taking music lessons 
from the great instructor. Schumann had already 
started to write works that were attracting consider¬ 
able attention, and before he was twenty-two years 
old he had written his first symphony. From 1830 to 
1840 Schumann produced many of his finest songs, 
and in 1834 with several others he founded a musical 
journal. It was through this paper that the work of 
Chopin, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Berlioz was first 
given notice. 

In 1840, Schumann and Clara Wieck were mar¬ 
ried, and for the next four years they lived in Dres¬ 
den. The year of his marriage Schumann was given 
the degree of Philosophy in the University at Jena, 
and during his residence at Dresden he composed his 
famous cantata, Paradise and the Peri. It was while 
living in this beautiful old city, also, that he started 
working on the music for Goethe’s poem, Faust. 
Many of his best songs were written to the poems of 
Goethe, Heine, Burns, Byron, Moore and other old 
poets. At this time Schumann was at his zenith as a 
composer and one masterpiece followed another in 
rapid succession. It was during these years, too, that 
Schumann met Wagner, the great musician, and they 
became intimate friends. 

In 1850, the Schumanns went to Dusseldorf, hop¬ 
ing that the change would benefit the great com- 


106 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


poser’s health, and the next year a short trip to 
Switzerland was made. It was at this time that the 
great master’s mind first began to fail, although he 
still did some composing. Two years before his death, 
in the latter part of 1854, the great man was taken to 
a private asylum near Bonn. He died in the arms of 
his loving wife on the twenty-sixth of July. After 
Schumann’s death his talented wife made many con¬ 
cert tours, and for a time was a piano teacher at the 
Dr. Hoch Conservatory. 



^ranz. Schubert 

“Music hath buried here a rich treasure, 

But far more beautiful hopes.” 

This is the epitaph written by Grillparzer and 
engraved on the monument above Schubert’s grave. 
Schumann’s well-known tribute to this famous musi¬ 
cian portrays his genius excellently: “He has strains 
for the most subtle thoughts and feelings, nay even 
for the very events and conditions of life and innu¬ 
merable as are the shades of human thought and 
aspiration, so varied is his music. Whatever his 
eye beholds, whatever his hand touches, turns into 
music.” 

Franz Peter Schubert was born on the thirty-first 
of January, 1797, in a place known as the “Courtyard 
of Heaven” in Vienna. His father was a school 
teacher, and his mother was a cook before her mar¬ 
riage. The boy was one of fourteen children, and after 
107 


108 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


his mother’s death in 1812, his father married again, 
and one of his five stepbrothers and sisters became a 
famous priest. The boy’s first teachers were his 
father and his brother Ignaz and Ferdinand, and later 
he was sent to the village choirmaster who taught 
him theory, piano, violin, organ and singing. When 
he was only eleven years old he was singing in the 
choir at church, and the violin solos he occasionally 
gave aroused wide interest. He soon became a stu¬ 
dent in the school provided for the education of Im¬ 
perial choristers in the Royal Chapel and started 
composing before he was fourteen years old. 

After having been threatened with conscription in 
the army three times Schubert managed to evade 
service by entering his father’s school as a teacher. 
He spent three years in teaching school, and when he 
was not yet eighteen years old wrote his Mass in F. 
Before he was nineteen years old he had written “The 
Wanderer” and “The Erlking,” two of his most beau¬ 
tiful compositions, and by this time he had begun to 
compose with the great rapidity that astonished all 
who knew him. When it became known at his death 
at the age of thirty-two, that he left six hundred 
songs, nine symphonies, numerous other composi¬ 
tions, masses, chorus, operas and an oratorio, it can 
be seen that he was a remarkably fast worker. 

In appearance Schubert was very short, which did 
not add to his dignity or stately appearance. One of 


FRANZ SCHUBERT 


109 


his most intimate friends declared that “Schubert 
looked just like a cabman.” There was nothing about 
his form or appearance that indicated the presence of 
the great talent that the man possessed. The famous 
Liszt said of him the “most poetic musician who ever 
lived.” 

Franz von Schober came to Schubert and insisted 
that he should give up the work in his father’s school, 
and come and live with him in Vienna in order to 
have more time for composing. This brought the 
young man into a wonderful new world that encour¬ 
aged and inspired him greatly, but he was never 
affected by the superficialities of life. As one person 
has said, “Schubert was music incarnate,” so nothing 
else seemed to matter to him. 

In 1818 Schubert went to teach music in the home 
of the famous Esterhazy family in Zselesz, where so 
many of the famous musicians taught. During the 
summer of 1825, in company with his friend, Vogl, 
Schubert toured the Austrian highlands, and it was 
during this time that he set Scott’s Lady of the Lake 
to music. Everywhere the great master was royally 
entertained, and the trip was a most enjoyable one. 

The last year of Schubert’s life was one of his 
most productive, and he was made a member of the 
famous Music Society of Vienna. Because of hard 
work Schubert’s health began failing toward the 
early part of November and he was soon forced to go 


110 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

to bed. By and by it was known that the master was 

111 with typhoid fever, and toward the last he imag¬ 
ined he was already dead, and just before he died 
whispered, “Here, here is my end!” This was the 
nineteenth of November, 1828, and his brother Ferdi¬ 
nand was by his bedside, while his father hearing of 
his son’s death was prostrated. 



Ludwig von ^Beethoven 


Beethoven was one of the most notable of the Ger¬ 
man musical composers, and probably the supreme 
master of modem music for the orchestra. No one 
familiar with music but has heard of his beautiful 
“Moonlight Sonata,” which he called the Sonata in C 
Sharp Minor. Perhaps this talented man had the 
greatest misfortune that could come to a composer, 
the loss of hearing, but the story they tell about the 
creation of the “Moonlight Sonata” happened before 
the composer became entirely deaf. One evening 
Beethoven and a friend were hurrying through the 
streets of Bonn, his native village, when they heard 
lovely strains of music coming from a poor cottage. 
“Oh! If I could only hear some really good musician 
play this wonderful piece,” they heard some one cry, 
and entering the cottage they saw that a blind girl 
had been playing. Beethoven sat down at the old 
piano and played as if he were inspired by all the 
111 


112 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

emotions in the world, but the blind girl did not know 
it was the great master until he struck the first chords 
of the Sonata in F. The candle went out and the 
music stopped. Beethoven’s friend went to the win¬ 
dow and opened the shutters, and a shower of moon¬ 
light entered as the great composer started impro¬ 
vising his well-known composition. Then he hurried 
home and wrote the music down. 

“Music is the only spiritual entrance to a higher 
world of knowledge,” so Beethoven expressed the 
ideas in which he held his art. Ludwig von Beetho¬ 
ven was born on the sixteenth of December, 1770, in 
Bonn, Austria. His father was a popular tenor singer, 
but a dissipated man, and it was from his grandfather 
that the boy really inherited his musical genius. His 
mother was very poorly educated, but greatly de¬ 
voted to her children. Beethoven received his first 
musical instruction from his father and a “boon com¬ 
panion,” and it is said that they tried to “beat” music 
into the lad. With this kind of treatment it is no 
wonder that the boy soon got so he detested anything 
musical, but when a little later he was sent to other 
teachers he grew to be very fond of music, even of 
practicing. He was soon sent to Vienna, where he re¬ 
ceived lessons from teachers of great ability and made 
rapid progress. Among his later teachers in this city 
was the famous musician, Haydn. 

On the death of his mother Beethoven returned to 
Bonn. There followed some of the dreariest and 


LUDWIG VON BEETHOVEN 


113 


hardest years of his life. From his eighteenth to his 
twenty-second year Beethoven had the full responsi¬ 
bility of the family thrust upon him. In 1792 Beetho¬ 
ven’s father died, and things were some easier for the 
young man, though his general education was always 
neglected. Shortly after the death of his father the 
young musician went to Vienna and never again 
returned to Bonn. It was after his twenty-eighth 
birthday that the first symptoms of deafness showed, 
and for the next ten years made slow progress, but 
finally resulted in total loss of hearing. But the great 
composer always bore his affliction with courage, and 
still gave the world the best results of his great 
genius. 

Beethoven was a very awkward man, though his 
bearing was always dignified and heroic. He was a 
short, heavy, thick-set man with much physical force, 
looking like a giant that had been stunted in his 
growth. His face was intensely expressive and pow¬ 
erful, which was probably the cause of his kingly 
appearance. This great master was very peculiar and 
eccentric and had an irritable temper, yet he had 
many friends and kept them through life. Beethoven 
never married, though he was a great admirer of 
pretty women. 

Beethoven’s life was never one of the happiest, 
and as if to add to his burdens, after the death of his 
brother Caspar in 1815, he bequeathed his son to the 
composer. Beethoven became greatly attached to the 


114 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

boy, though he was a worthless scoundrel and squan¬ 
dered large sums of his famous uncle’s money. 

This music master started composing at the age 
of eleven years, and wrote nine symphonies, a num¬ 
ber of concertos, numerous sonatas, an opera and an 
oratorio, masses, songs and various other compo¬ 
sitions. All of his music throbs with warmth, 
color and emotion and with him the development of 
orchestra music reached its best. 

In the midst of a raging storm, with the wind 
blowing and thunder and lightning shaking the build¬ 
ings, the great man died on the twenty-sixth of 
March, 1827. 



‘Peter I. 'Tchaikowsky 

The name of Tchaikowsky is not so well known as 
that of most musical geniuses, probably because he 
was born at a much later date, yet he is one of the 
most famous of the musicians born in April. This 
great Russian musician composed ten operas, three 
ballets, six symphonies, two masses, and many other 
compositions consisting of songs, duets, overtures, 
and so forth. “Don’t believe those who would per¬ 
suade you that musical composition is a cool, reason¬ 
able work! Music which comes up from the depths of 
a soul in the agitation of inspiration is the only kind 
which is able to move, stir and deeply affect,” so 
wrote this great musician in one of his letters. This 
may be the explanation of why his compositions are 
so full of character and feeling, throbbing with life 
and emotion. 

Peter Ilich Tchaikowsky was born on the twenty- 
fifth of April, 1840, in Votkinsk, Russia. His father 
115 


116 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

was a mining engineer, and his mother was a good 
singer and also played her accompaniments, but was 
no great musician. When the boy was eight years old 
the family went to St. Petersburg to live, where he 
started his musical education, with the promise that 
he would also study the law. He was not especially 
bright at school, except in mathematics, but he knew 
in order to learn anything he had to study and so he 
did. When Peter was only fourteen years old his 
mother died from the dreadful cholera, and the boy 
missed her greatly. Four years later he graduated 
from the law school and got a minor position in the 
ministry of justice, but he did not like the work and 
kept dreaming of the time he would be a great musi¬ 
cian. During these years he had studied music faith¬ 
fully, though unlike so many famous musicians he 
showed no special talent. Russia did not at that time 
offer great opportunities for the study of music, but 
after Rubinstein founded the Conservatory of St. 
Petersburg, Tchaikowsky entered it and took up the 
study of harmony, later studying under the great 
master. 

Tchaikowsky’s earlier works seem to have been of 
little worth, for even after his death, when he had 
become famous, none of them were published. His 
biographers claim that he did no really serious work 
till he was in his twenties, after he had become 
acquainted with famous musicians who encouraged 
him. In 1866 Tchaikowsky was appointed the teacher 


PETER 1. TCHAIKOWSKY 


117 


of theory at the Conservatory at Moscow, that Ru¬ 
binstein’s brother had founded. The same year he 
produced his first symphony, which was not a suc¬ 
cess, due to the misunderstanding of other musicians 
of the time. But in a few years, by very hard work 
and great efforts Tchaikowsky produced composi¬ 
tions which no longer were failures. Among these 
were his “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Tempest,” 
two of his better known compositions. 

During all the years of discouragement Tchai- 
kowsky’s married sister was his best friend, and 
was always ready to encourage and help him. He 
spent many months at her home, and probably would 
have given up composing if it had not been for her 
kindness. 

For a time Tchaikowsky was critic for a leading 
musical paper, and during these years he produced 
some of his best compositions which included the 
operas “Undine,” and “Eugene Onegin.” He also 
taught during this time, and although he did not like 
teaching was always a conscientious and patient in¬ 
structor. During a visit to France he married Anto¬ 
nina Ivanovna Milyukova, whom he left in a short 
time, returning to St. Petersburg. 

On account of ill health Tchaikowsky left Russia 
and for a time lived in Switzerland and Italy, and 
after a year, when his health was better, he wrote 
some of his most interesting works. His reputation 
now began to spread and his compositions began to 


118 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


be more successful. In 1893 Cambridge gave him the 
Degree of Doctor of Music. Encouraged by his suc¬ 
cess Tchaikowsky visited America, conducting six 
concerts in this country. On his return home he com¬ 
posed one of his greatest compositions, the “Pathetic 
Symphony.” 

In October, 1893, the great master’s health began 
to fail, and at first it was thought he was suffering 
from indigestion, but by and by the dreadful cholera 
gripped him and he passed away on the sixth of 
November. 



Christoph von Qlucl^ 

“The imitation of nature is the end which both 
poet and composer should set before themselves; that 
is the goal after which I have striven. My music 
tends only to greater expressiveness and the enforce¬ 
ment of the declamation of the poetry/’ so said Gluck, 
a great musical composer. He also wrote, “Music 
should in opera occupy towards poetry the same rela¬ 
tion as is held by a color scheme and chiaroscuro 
towards a fine drawing; that is to say, to add life to 
its figures without injuring their outline.” 

Christoph Wilibald Ritter von Gluck was born on 
the second of July, 1714, in Weidenwand, Bavaria. 
His father was a forester and game keeper, and 
almost as soon as the small boy could walk he liked 
to toddle after his father in the forest. When he was 
twelve years old the boy was sent to a Jesuit school 
at Kommotau, where during the next six years he 
also studied music. He soon gained a reputation as a 
119 


120 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


good singer, and before finishing his education at this 
school was forced to give lessons to help support him¬ 
self. Stories are told that he was often given eggs in 
payment for his services by people who were nearly 
as poor as himself, and the little Gluck would take 
these to the village store and exchange them for 
money. In 1736 Gluck was fortunate enough to get 
an invitation from the Prince Locowitz to visit him. 
The prince became greatly attached to the young 
boy, and it was through him that Gluck was sent to 
Sammatini at Milan, one of the most gifted musical 
teachers of that time. The boy stayed with the great 
master for four years, being greatly impressed by the 
beauty and melody of Italian music. 

In 1741 Gluck wrote his first opera for the court 
theater at Milan, “Artaserse,” which was very well 
received. Two other operas followed in quick suc¬ 
cession, “Orfeo ed Euridice,” and in a short time 
“Alceste Patide ed Elena.” The production of these 
and several other compositions established Gluck’s 
reputation as a composer, and when still in his thir¬ 
ties became well known as a composer. 

From 1747 to 1762 Gluck spent most of his time in 
travel, visiting all the principal cities in Europe, but 
always working hard. During this time he wrote 
many of his best compositions. In 1750 Gluck mar¬ 
ried Marianne Pergin, the daughter of a rich banker 
in Vienna. Four years later the title “Chevalier of the 
Golden Spur” was bestowed upon Gluck. 


CHRISTOPH VON GLUCK 


121 


After the production of “Armide,” Gluck found 
himself besieged by enemies on nearly every side and 
a veritable musical war broke out. All kinds of liter¬ 
ature with vindictive articles and sketches were sent 
out and everybody became strangely excited. But 
when Gluck produced his great masterpiece, “Iphi- 
genie en Tauride,” in 1779, even his bitterest enemies 
were forced to admit that his composition was one of 
great merit. For some time previous to this Gluck 
had been the music teacher to the Princess Marie 
Antoinette, before her trip to Paris. “Echo et Nar- 
cisse” was Gluck’s last opera, but it never was as suc¬ 
cessful as his great masterpiece. He died from apo¬ 
plexy in Vienna in 1787. In all he composed fifty-four 
dramatic pieces and various other compositions, and 
in all of them he held to his ideal of art, which is best 
expressed in his own words, “I sought to reduce 
music to its true function, that of seconding the 
poetry.” 



Richard Wagner 

Wagner was not only a great composer, but a 
poet and dramatist as well, and some of his librettos 
rank highly as literature. “I have only a mind to 
live, to enjoy—i.e. to work as an artist, and produce 
my works; but not for the muddy brains of the com¬ 
mon herd,” so declared the great German composer. 

Wilhelm Richard Wagner was born on the 
twenty-second of May, 1813, in “The House of the 
Red and White Lion” in Leipsic. His father was a 
minor government official, Wagner being the young¬ 
est of nine children, several of whom attained consid¬ 
erable fame as singers and on the stage. One of the 
other boys, Albert, became a famous singer and actor, 
and was afterward stage manager at Berlin, and his 
daughter, Johanna, a famous singer, was the first 
Elizabeth in Wagner’s great production, “Tann- 
hauser.” The father was killed in one of Napoleon’s 
attacks in 1813, leaving the mother to struggle for 
122 


RICHARD WAGNER 


123 


her large family, alone. However, she soon married 
Ludwig Geyer, an old actor friend of her former hus¬ 
band’s, who became greatly attached to his youngest 
step-son. 

Soon the family went to Dresden to live, where 
Geyer was employed in a theater, and Wagner was 
sent to the Kreuzschule to school. He was a very stu¬ 
dious boy and when he was twelve years old had 
translated twelve of the books of Homer’s “Odys¬ 
sey.” His early talents seemed to lie in dramatic lines 
more than in musical ones, and although he liked 
music he despised to practice and would play only “by 
ear.” All of his life he suffered from this handicap, 
which he never overcame. Often during these days 
he met von Weber, a widely known musician even at 
that time. Through his influence Wagner began to 
like music even better and decided that he wanted to 
become a great composer and musician. In 1827 
Wagner returned to Leipsic, where he became deeply 
interested in Beethoven’s works, and started to teach 
himself, making his first compositions in secret. Then 
for a time he studied with a music teacher, but made 
little progress, for the teacher did not understand the 
boy and considered him self-willed. During this time 
the boy wrote an overture, which was given at a 
Leipsic theater, and which caused the audience to 
roar with laughter. After that Wagner matriculated 
at the University of Leipsic, paying great attention 


124 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

to philosophy, but he soon took up music again. This 
composer’s first published work was a sonata, fol¬ 
lowed by several other pieces. By the time he was 
eighteen he had written a symphony which was given 
by the orchestra in Leipsic in 1833. 

When Wagner was twenty years old he became 
chorus master of the Wurtzburg theater, where his 
brother Albert was stage manager at the time. Even 
though his own operas were failures, Wagner was 
gaining valuable experience. In 1834 he was ap¬ 
pointed conductor of the opera at Magdeburg, Ger¬ 
many, and two years later of the opera in Koinsberg. 
During his stay in this city he married Wilhemine 
Planer, an actress, from whom he later separated. 
The next year he went to Riga. In 1839 Wagner 
went to Paris, then one of the musical centers of the 
world, making the trip by water and encountering a 
fierce storm, which he afterward wrote about in “The 
Flying Dutchman.” Wagner remained till 1842 writ¬ 
ing his famous opera “Rienzi,” based on the book by 
Bulwer-Lytton of the same name during these years 
which was produced in Dresden. But during most of 
this time Wagner was forced to write cheap songs 
for a living, hiding his real talent. In 1843 he was 
appointed director of music in the Dresden theater, 
and immediately he began to write his great “Tann- 
hauser,” which is based on the legend of a German 
knight ruined by love. 


RICHARD WAGNER 


125 


In 1849 Wagner had to flee from Dresden, having 
taken part in a political riot, and did not return till in 
1861, spending the years in Zurich, Paris and other 
cities. In 1850 Liszt produced Wagner’s “Lohen¬ 
grin,” and he soon became famous. In 1870 Wagner 
married a daughter of Liszt. 

Early in the spring of 1883 Wagner’s health 
began to fail, and he died on the thirteenth of Febru¬ 
ary from heart failure, and was buried in a tomb 
erected by himself near Bayreuth. 



Jacob Liebmann Beer, as Meyerbeer was chris¬ 
tened, was bom on the fifth of September, 1791, in 
Berlin. It is quite interesting how this great com¬ 
poser came by the name by which he is best known. 
A rich relative of the family, named Meyer, stated 
that he would leave the Beers his fortune if they 
adopted his name, so the name was added to that of 
Beer. In later years Meyerbeer had the name of 
Jacob Italianized, hence the Giacomo by which he is 
known. Meyerbeer’s father was a prosperous banker, 
and his mother was a talented and cultured woman, 
so the little boy had a refined atmosphere in which 
to grow. There were two older boys than Jacob, and 
Wilhelm became a famous astronomer, and Michael 
a well-known poet. So as in the famous Strauss fam¬ 
ily there were three boys who all became famous. 
The little boy soon showed a surprising talent for 
music, so his parents sent him to receive lessons from 
126 


GIACOMO MEYERBEER 


127 


Franz Serapa Lauski, a pupil of the noted Clementi. 
When he was only seven years old the little Jacob 
played one of Mozart’s concertos in public, astonish¬ 
ing all who heard him. But the little boy did not 
aspire to be a pianist, but a great composer, so he was 
sent to other teachers, among them Abt-Vogler, the 
great German teacher. 

Vogler required his pupils to do an enormous 
amount of work in the shortest time possible. He 
expected his pupils to learn one of the masterpieces 
of a famous composer every day, and do it thor¬ 
oughly. At this time Meyerbeer was a very diligent 
student and often stayed for days in his room, only 
leaving it for a few moments at a time. Soon the 
young man was composing pieces, but his first two 
operas were failures. Undaunted the talented young 
man kept on writing and when he was only in his 
early twenties produced compositions that called 
forth considerable attention. Among the first of these 
was an oratorio called “God and Nature.” Soon the 
young composer went to Vienna, where he went on 
the first night of his stay to a concert by Hummel, 
which impressed him greatly and made him decide to 
perfect his own technic. On the insistence of his 
friends he went to Italy to study and while there 
met many important musicians. The greatest of 
these being Rossini, the famous Italian composer, 
with whose compositions Meyerbeer was greatly 


128 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

impressed and inspired, and in a short time he 
wrote seven Italian operas, which were great suc¬ 
cesses. He also produced several other operas, among 
them being “Romilda Constanza” and “L’Esule di 
Granata.” A few years later he produced his first 
French opera. 

Tiring with the glamour of Italy Meyerbeer 
returned to Germany, where he began producing 
more serious work, and he soon wrote “Croaciato,” 
which was a great success. From 1824 to 1831 Meyer¬ 
beer produced few compositions, but he soon went to 
Paris, where he wrote some of his best pieces. Dur¬ 
ing these years Augustine Scribe, the dramatist, was 
an intimate friend of Meyerbeer, and encouraged him 
greatly in doing his best work. Meyerbeer produced 
his greatest masterpiece in 1836, when he wrote “Les 
Huguenots,” which is as popular today as it was 
when it first appeared. In 1842 the King of Prussia 
appointed Meyerbeer Generalmusik director at Ber¬ 
lin. It was while there that Meyerbeer produced an 
opera in which Jenny Lind, the famous singer, made 
her appearance. In 1849 “Le Prophet,” another one 
of Meyerbeer’s great successes, was produced. Louis 
Philippe made him a member of the Legion of Honor, 
and he was elected to the Institute of France. Other 
high honors were bestowed upon him by royalty and 
everywhere he was regally received and honored. 


GIACOMO MEYERBEER 129 

Although Meyerbeer was a rich man he always lived 
modestly. 

The great composer’s last work was “L’Afri- 
canne,” which he did not live to see produced. He 
died at Paris on the second of May, 1864, and his 
funeral was one of great magnificence. 


c/lnton c Riibinstein 


It was not as a pianist that Rubinstein desired to 
be known, but as a composer, and his compositions 
are especially noted for their harmony and the com¬ 
pleteness of melody in each one. Some one said of 
him that “he composed each piece as he played it.” 
Of his playing Eduard Hanslick said, “It is a delight 
to listen to him, in the highest and most sincere sense 
of the word.” Rubinstein’s “Ocean Symphony” is 
among his better known compositions, and is noted 
for its great beauty. His operas are not well known 
outside of his native country, Russia, though among 
them are six German ones and several sacred ones. 
Among his other productions were cantatas, over¬ 
tures, concertos, sextets and other compositions. His 
D-minor Concerto is one of the best pieces ever 
written for the pianoforte. 

Anton Grigorovich Rubinstein was born on the 
twenty-eighth of November, 1830, at Wechwotynetz, 
130 


ANTON RUBINSTEIN 


131 


Russia. His father conducted a pen and pencil fac¬ 
tory in the town, and his mother was a good musi¬ 
cian. The little boy had five sisters and brothers, and 
Nicholas became a famous musician, founding the 
music school in Moscow. The family were of Jewish 
descent, but all had been baptized in the Greek Catho¬ 
lic Church in 1830, after the Czar had threatened to 
exile all unorthodox people. The little boy’s first 
music lessons were given to him by his mother, who 
taught him and his brother Nicholas. As if fate 
decreed that musical neighbors should help to decide 
the little Anton’s life work, when a new neighbor 
came beside the Rubinsteins and had a musical 
daughter, who incited the boy to renewed effort. 
After Anton showed that he desired to study music 
and that he had talent his parents sent him to the 
leading music teacher in Moscow, to which city the 
family had removed in 1834. For a few months in 
1840 the boy attended the conservatory at Paris, and 
the same year made his first public appearance. Then 
in company with his teacher Rubinstein traveled all 
over Europe giving concerts. This seemed fun to 
Anton, who like all boys delighted in adventure and 
in changing scenes. At one of these concerts Liszt 
and Chopin were present and greatly admired the 
young boy’s playing, and upon Liszt’s advice Rubin¬ 
stein made a tour through Germany. He also visited 


132 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


England, where he was greatly welcomed by Queen 
Victoria. 

In 1843 Rubinstein returned to St. Petersburg, 
where he was received with great applause, later 
going to Moscow, and in 1844 to Berlin. Here the 
young man took up his studies again, and also the 
study of several other languages. From that city the 
young musician went to Vienna, where he gave les¬ 
sons to support himself, and lived very poorly. 
Finally Liszt helped him to return to Berlin, and he 
returned to Russia in 1849. As the country was in 
turmoil at the time the young musician had a hard 
time with his passports and all of his musical compo¬ 
sitions were seized and destroyed. During his stay in 
St. Petersburg Rubinstein spent his time in compos¬ 
ing and teaching to support himself. His first opera, 
“Dmitri Donoskoi,” was produced in 1851, and was 
quite a success. In the next four years the Russian 
composer played in most of the important musical 
centers in Europe, all with success. 

In 1858 Rubinstein returned to St. Petersburg, 
where a few years later he founded the St. Petersburg 
Conservatory, of which he was a director. The school 
met with all manner of opposition, for at that time 
Russia was not deeply interested in music. In 1867 
Rubinstein left the Conservatory, several years later 
in company with Henry Wieniawski he came to 


ANTON RUBINSTEIN 


133 


America, appearing two hundred times in concerts. 
He soon returned to Russia, where in 1865 he mar¬ 
ried Mile. Viere Tchekuanov, and they had three chil¬ 
dren. In 1887 he was reappointed director of the Con¬ 
servatory he founded. He died on the twentieth of 
November, 1894, at Peterhof. 



y^ranz Liszt 

Liszt’s transcriptions for the piano are among the 
finest ever written, and his Hungarian rhapsodies 
stand alone among the work of all composers. Hun¬ 
garians consider Liszt as one of their heroes, as well 
they might. Among the many compositions written 
by this great master his symphonies, “Faust” and 
“Dante,” and his oratorios, “Saint Elizabeth” and 
“Christus,” are among his very best and most popu¬ 
lar works. 

Liszt was born at Raiding, Austria, on the twenty- 
second of October, 1811. His father was steward in 
the famous Esterhazy family, and was a proficient 
violin, flute and piano player. It is said that he took 
lessons from the famous Wagner when he taught the 
children belonging to the Esterhazy estate. The small 
Liszt showed a surprising musical talent, and when 
only seven years old made his first public appearance. 
So delighted were some noblemen with his playing 
that they offered to pay for his musical education for 
the next six years, so he was sent to Vienna. He gave 
134 


FRANZ LISZT 


135 


a concert in that city when he was only twelve years 
old, which astonished all who heard him, and it was 
predicted that the world would soon have a new 
music master, a prediction which came true. Beetho¬ 
ven was among one of the listeners and was ever 
afterward among Liszt’s most ardent admirers. The 
same year the small boy wrote a variation of a famous 
waltz, which also proved a real success, and his fame 
as a pianist spread rapidly. During the following 
years the young musician made many trips to Switz¬ 
erland and England, where he always met with the 
greatest success. In 1825 his first one act opera ap¬ 
peared, “Don Sancho,” which proved a real success. 

But the joy of Liszt’s success was dimmed by the 
death of his father in 1827. Few fathers and their 
sons were greater companions than this boy and his 
father had been. Now the support of his mother fell 
upon Liszt and he began working harder than ever. 
He took up life as a teacher in Paris under Erad, the 
manufacturer of pianos. He was a very capable and 
patient teacher and his pupils all venerated him. 
Among them were many of the greatest pianoforte 
masters of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. 
Much has been said about the wonderful beauty and 
depth of Liszt’s playing, but no words can fitly 
describe the wonderful sounds that came from 
musical instruments through his fingers. Hans Chris¬ 
tian Andersen, the great fairy tale writer, said of 
Liszt’s playing: “The whole instrument appears to 


136 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

be changed into a great orchestra.” Rosenthal, one 
of Liszt’s most devoted pupils said of his playing, 
“He played as no one before him and as no one prob¬ 
ably will again.” 

During Liszt’s stay in Paris he made friends with 
many famous persons, among them the great French 
novelist, Victor Hugo, George Sand, Chopin, Heine 
and others were among his noted friends. Everyone 
liked Liszt for his genial personality, his kindness and 
cultured enthusiasm. Here in 1834 he married the 
Countess D’Agoult, known in literature as Daniel 
Stern. Of their four children one became the wife of 
Wagner, and another the wife of Napoleon’s Minister 
of War. From 1839 to 1847 the great composer trav¬ 
eled much in Europe. Two years later Liszt decided to 
stay at Weimar, where he remained for twelve years. 
Here he became director of the Court Theater, and in 
this way was able to help many rising but struggling 
composers. In this way he helped Wagner, Schumann, 
Schubert, Berlioz and other composers, who later be¬ 
came world famous. It was at this time that Liszt first 
became known as a teacher of famous musicians, and 
through his stay in the little city, Weimar became a 
famous musical center. After leaving Weimar Liszt 
traveled from place to place, and while in Rome the 
great man took deep interest in the church. 

It was while Liszt was in Rome that he became 
afflicted with bronchitis, which resulted in his death 
on the twenty-first of July, 1886. 



Jrancis Scott {(ey 

Every evening at flag lowering time the “Star- 
Spangled Banner” is played in every American fort 
and garrison and on every American battleship 
throughout the world. Could anyone ask for a more 
loving and appropriate monument than has been 
dedicated to the memory of Francis Scott Key, the 
author of these patriotic words? 

Francis Scott Key was bom on August 9,1780, in 
Frederick County, Maryland. His parents were of 
good birth and culture, and were true Christians. 

It is said that Francis was not a pretty baby, nor 
in after years did he possess great personal charm, 
but he was endowed with a far greater gift. He be¬ 
came the possessor of a noble character, with which 
training made him grow into a respected, loving and 
lovable man, who always had a good reputation. 

After finishing his common school education 
Francis was sent to Saint John’s College at Annap- 
137 


138 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

olis, where he first became interested in literature, 
and commenced writing poems. He graduated from 
law school and began its practice in his home town 
in 1801. Because of his diligence and perseverance 
he rose in a short time to the position of district at¬ 
torney of the District of Columbia. This position he 
held for many years. 

After the burning of Washington by the British 
in 1814, Doctor William Beams, one of Key’s friends, 
put three British refugees in jail. He was quickly 
arrested by English soldiers and taken aboard an 
English warship. John S. Skinner, a friend of Beams, 
and Francis Scott Key were permitted by Secretary 
of the State, James Monroe, to intercede for the doc¬ 
tor. The two Americans boarded the vessel just as it 
was preparing to bombard Fort McHenry. 

The British officer agreed to release Doctor 
Beams, but refused to let Key and his companion 
leave the vessel till after the battle, fearing they 
might have discovered their plans and would tell 
them. The bombardment began early in the morning 
of September 13, 1814, and continued during all the 
day and night. Key and Skinner, who knew the 
strength of the fort, feared it would not survive the 
attack. All night, in terrible anguish, they paced up 
and down the deck, hoping and praying the fort 
could hold out. Key’s brother-in-law was one of the 
commanders at the Fort, and besides fearing the loss 


FRANCIS SCOTT KEY 


139 


of the fort, the young man knew if it fell his relative 
would be taken captive. 

Slowly the dawn of the morning came, but the 
distance between the fort and the ship was filled with 
fog and smoke. Nothing could be seen. Skinner and 
Key tried again and again to see through the mist, 
but were unsuccessful. Then at seven o’clock a rift 
appeared in the density of the veil, and it grew wider 
and wider. Eagerly the two Americans watched, and 
then shouted with joy when they saw the fragments 
of a flag still proudly floating over the battered fort. 
These tatters are still kept as an historic relic. 

Thrilled and inspired by the sight, Key thrust his 
hand into his pocket and brought out an unfinished 
letter, and on the back of it he wrote the most of the 
words of the “Star-Spangled Banner.” He finished it 
that night in a hotel in Baltimore, and showed it to 
his brother-in-law. He became enthusiastic over it, 
and took it the next morning to a printer, who printed 
it on hand bills. That day they were distributed 
through the fort, and it was sung to the tune of an old 
English drinking song, “Anacreon in Heaven.” A 
few days later an actor sang it in public in Baltimore, 
and it immediately became popular. Shortly after¬ 
ward it was played at the Battle of New Orleans. It 
is commonly thought that, if the British had not 
bombarded the fort, Key would never have been in¬ 
spired to write his famous song. Mr. Key died Jan- 


140 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

uary 11, 1843, and is buried beside his wife at Fred¬ 
erick, Maryland. The United States keeps a flag 
continually floating over the two graves, and every 
Memorial Day a new one is raised with solemn cere¬ 
mony. The first monument erected to Key’s memory 
is in San Francisco, and it looks out over the broad 
waters of the Pacific Ocean. 



\ 


WiUiam J. Cody 

William Frederick Cody, better known as “Buf¬ 
falo Bill,” was a true American frontiersman, and is 
the hero of every young boy. Few men have had more 
exciting and thrilling adventures, and are more typi¬ 
cal of the life of the western plains. 

William Cody was born February 26, 1845, in 
Scott County, Iowa, and all his early life was spent 
among the Indians. While still a small child his par¬ 
ents went to Missouri, and one day while Billy was in 
town, watching some Indian ponies, he was accosted 
by a strange boy whom he later found out was his 
cousin. He had gone away from home when a small 
boy, and later Billy helped this cousin, Horace Bill¬ 
ings, to herd government horses. It was while they 
were watching them that Cody had his first skirmish 
with Indians. 

Mr. Cody was an Abolitionist, and because of 
political troubles in Missouri, was forced to go far- 
141 


142 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

ther west. Billy, always eager for adventure, was 
delighted with the change, and loved the freedom of 
the vast unexplored wilderness. Nature and his par¬ 
ents were the only teachers the small boy had, but he 
learned from them many things that other boys never 
find in books. 

One day when he was eleven years old Billy met 
Mr. Russell, a great freighter, and he offered to 
employ him at twenty-five dollars a month to herd 
cattle. Cody was eager to accept the offer, but his 
mother tried to persuade him not to accept, fearing he 
would be captured by Indians. Billy could not get his 
mother to change her mind, so he ran away, reaching 
the men and cattle just as they were about to start. 
When they were thirty-five miles west of Fort Kear¬ 
ney, their destination, they were suddenly attacked by 
Indians. The cattle stampeded and ran in every direc¬ 
tion, and Cody, being the youngest and weakest of the 
men, fell behind as they fled from the Indians. How 
the boy wished he had never left home! As he was 
going along that night he looked up to see an Indian 
looking at him. He fired and the next minute the 
Indian fell, and the plainsmen, hearing the shot, 
returned. 

As the years passed Cody’s strength and keenness 
increased. There was little about the Indians he did 
not know. When the pony express was started by the 
Wells, Fargo Express Company between Julesburg, 


WILLIAM F. CODY 


143 


Colorado, and other stations, Cody was engaged as 
rider. He had to ride forty-five miles a day, carrying 
express packages through a wilderness. When his 
mother heard of the perilous trips he was making she 
appealed to him to give it up. But Cody loved the 
work, and refused to give it up until his mother be¬ 
came very ill. Then he returned home, but left with a 
trapper as soon as she was better. 

Cody and his companion went on a long trapping 
expedition, and one day while creeping around a creek 
the young man fell, breaking his leg. His companion 
left to go to a camp for pack horses, telling Cody he 
would be back in twenty days, and leaving him plenty 
of food and fuel. The Indians came and took all the 
supplies and Cody’s gun. It was twenty-nine days 
before the trapper returned, but Cody was still alive. 
They returned to Fort Leavenworth in 1860, and for 
many months Cody had to walk on crutches. 

Then the Civil War broke out, and Cody offered 
his services as a Union scout, rendering valuable aid 
in hunting “bush whackers” and rangers in Arkansas 
and Missouri. Among the soldiers he was known as 
the “Red Legged Scout.” About this time the Union 
Pacific Railroad began construction, and Cody was a 
member of the United States troops that protected 
the men working on it. He signed a contract with the 
railroad men to supply the entire force with fresh buf¬ 
falo meat, and in a year and two months killed four 


144 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


thousand, two hundred and eighty buffalo. It was 
then he was nicknamed “Buffalo Bill” 

Later Cody engaged in several raids against the 
Indians, finally settling on a ranch in North Platte, 
Nebraska. There he raised cattle and buffalo, but the 
life did not appeal to him, and he left it to go on the 
stage. In a short time he collected a band of Indians, 
cowboys, unbroken bronchos and wild buffalos, and 
commenced a series of shows. He called this show the 
Wild West Show, and exhibited it in all the principal 
cities of America, going to Europe in 1892 where 
many of the crowned heads visited his show. He 
returned to this country in 1893 for the Columbian 
Exposition, where his show was one of the greatest 
attractions. 

He died on the tenth of January, 1917, and the 
memory of his active life of adventure is still keenly 
alive. 



V^larK Thoain 

Who has not learned to love Mark Twain, after 
reading the delightful and exciting adventures of 
Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer and Pudd’nhead 
Wilson? He is the most popular American humorist 
that has ever lived, and his books are read wherever 
the English language is spoken. He understood the 
heart of the boy, the hidden yearnings, the longing 
for adventure, just as Miss Alcott did of a girl. 

Samuel Langhome Clemens, which was Mark 
Twain’s real name, was born in a small house in 
Florida, Missouri, on November 30, 1835. He had 
only a meager education, for at that time Missouri 
was a pioneer state and offered few educational ad¬ 
vantages. He was only thirteen years old when he 
went to work in a printing office. Judging from his 
humorous stories we would think the boy had been 
full of fun, but on the contrary he was of a rather 
melancholy temperament. The small boy liked his 
work in the office, and did it with zeal, soon becom- 
145 


146 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

ing an expert typesetter, but deep in his heart was a 
longing for adventure. He worked for a time on 
papers in Saint Louis, going from there to New York, 
then to Philadelphia. Always there was a lure in his 
soul, a call that his work did not satisfy. 

At last the young man awoke to what the call was 
for. The life of a riverman had never ceased to hold 
fascination for him. He could hear the waves splash, 
the bubbling of water, close his eyes and see the 
steamboats plough through the waves. He must see 
the river again! So in 1851 he came back to the Mis¬ 
sissippi river, and at once became a steamboat pilot. 
Here the simple life, and the freedom it afforded, 
seemed to give him a new interest in life and he wrote 
“Life on the Mississippi,” an interesting account of 
his trips on the river. During this time he also chose 
the pen name by which he is far better known than by 
his right name. “Mark Twain” was frequently called 
to the sounder to indicate water two fathoms deep. 
The words impressed the young pilot deeply, and he 
liked their soft musical sound. 

When the Civil War broke out traffic on the river 
ceased, and there was no longer need for pilots. So 
Mark Twain joined a company of southern sympa¬ 
thizers, who volunteered, but they saw no actual 
service. After the war he went with his brother to 
Nevada, going from there to San Francisco, where he 
worked for a time as a reporter. Then he became 
interested in mining, taking a trip to the Sandwich 


MARK TWAIN 


147 


Islands, and in his spare time writing short sketches. 
One of his poems, “He Done His Level Best” 
appeared about this time in a California paper, and 
excited considerable attention. 

On his return to this country in 1866 he gradually 
acquired a reputation as a writer and lecturer. His 
“The Jumping Frog of Calavaeras County” and 
“Innocents Abroad” appeared shortly afterward. 
The latter book being a humorous account of a trip 
through Egypt and the Holy Land, and made him 
famous and prosperous. Mark Twain was given the 
editorship of the Buffalo Express, of which he was 
editor for two years. 

In 1871 he was married, the same year giving up 
the editorship of the Express, and going to Hartford, 
Connecticut, where he remained the rest of his life, 
except ten years spent in Europe. The years from 
1889 to 1899 he spent traveling in Europe, gathering 
much material which he used later in books. 

In 1894 a publishing house, in which Twain was 
interested, failed, leaving him a large debt to pay. 
This he paid by his lecture tour in 1895-96, in which 
he visited many of the important cities in the United 
States. Many delightful incidents are told about him 
on this trip. While staying at one hotel it is said he 
remarked, “This place is delightful and the inn is 
Paradise on earth, but the walls are so thin that I 
could hear the lady in the next room every time she 
changed her mind.” 


148 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


Mark Twain was the author of many books, his 
best known ones being those about Tom Sawyer and 
Huckleberry Finn, “The Innocents Abroad,” “The 
Prince and the Pauper,” “A Connecticut Yankee at 
King Arthur’s Court” and “Pudd’nhead Wilson.” 
He wrote several historical works which include the 
“Recollections of Joan of Arc,” “What is Man? and 
Other Essays” and “Following the Equator.” 

His busy life was ended by death at the home 
of one of his daughters in 1910. No other monument 
is needed to keep the memory of Mark Twain forever 
living in the hearts of his countrymen, except his 
delightful books. 



Eugene 

Eugene Field was a writer was loved by everyone, 
and especially by children. They have listened over 
and over again in reverential attention to his “Little 
Boy Blue,” and to the frolics of the gingham dog and 
the calico cat. And how many children have felt sorry 
for the small boy who was always “seem’ things at 
night.” What would childhood be without the rhymes 
of Eugene Field? 

Eugene Field was born September 3, 1850, in 
Saint Louis, and in heart always remained a boy. 
His father was a great student, and believed in giving 
his children the best education obtainable. His 
mother died when he was only seven years old, and 
Eugene and his younger brother, Roswell, were 
taken to Amherst, Massachusetts, and placed in the 
care of a cousin. She cared for them like a mother, 
but still the boys felt the loss of their own gentle 
mother, though they were delighted with the long 
trip. 



149 


150 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


Eugene was a happy, active boy, loving all ani¬ 
mals and nature. He had many pets, and an odd 
name for each of them. He was fond of the freedom 
of the great out-of-doors, and he and his brother had 
many enjoyable rambles around Amherst. His early 
education was obtained in this city. He was not an 
exceptionally bright student, but was very fond of 
drawing, and liked to draw funny pictures of his 
school mates and teachers. He often spent hours 
decorating his letters to his father with elves and 
brownies. 

After finishing their school education, Eugene and 
his brother prepared themselves to enter Williams 
College, which they did in 1868. A year later Eugene 
became a member of the sophomore class of Knox 
College of Galesburg, Illinois, his brother attending 
the University of Missouri in that state. During 
their college years the boys often wrote letters to 
their father in Latin, which he greatly enjoyed. After 
finishing his sophomore year at Knox, Eugene joined 
his brother at the university, where he completed 
his education. 

In 1872 Mr. Field visited Europe, spending six 
months in visiting England, France, Italy and Ire¬ 
land. After his return in 1874 he became a reporter 
on the St. Louis Journal, which was the beginning of 
his successful newspaper career. He worked dili¬ 
gently and soon became quite famous in this line of 
writing. Shortly after his return from abroad he 


EUGENE FIELD 


151 


married Miss Comstock, a charming young lady, the 
sister of a college friend. 

For ten years Field worked on various Kansas 
and Missouri newspapers, with never a thought of 
writing poetry. His widest reputation as a writer 
came through his conducting a humorous column, 
under the title “Sharps and Flats,” in the Chicago 
News. This was unexpectedly varied, and eagerly 
read each day. 

In 1883 the Fields went to Chicago to live, where 
Eugene remained the rest of his life. Mr. Field was 
very fond of children, and delighted in giving them 
odd names, just as he had his pets when a boy. It 
was probably through their constant demand for new 
stories and rhymes that first made Mr. Field turn to 
the weaving of childhood jingles, which made him so 
famous. He made friends everywhere, but loved best 
to be with his family. 

Field’s first poems were written when he was over 
thirty years old, and were humorous. It was not till 
he wrote the tender words of “Little Boy Blue” that 
the deeper springs of his sympathetic nature were 
awakened. Much of his best and tenderest verse 
pictures his happy home life, and his great love for 
children. 

“The little toy dog is covered with dust, 

But sturdy and staunch he stands, 

And the little toy soldier is red with rust, 

And his musket moulds in his hands.” 


152 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

Through all the years Mr. Field kept up his jour¬ 
nalistic work, but found time to write many delight¬ 
ful poems, filled with tender fancy and whimsical 
humor. The greater part of his poems are of child¬ 
hood and they have been collected into volumes, 
among them being “With Trumpet and Drum,” “A 
Little Book of Western Verse,” “A Little Book of 
Profitable Tales,” “Love-Songs of Childhood,” 
“Poems of Childhood” and “Lullabyland.” He also 
wrote a volume of essays entitled “The Love Affairs 
of A Bibliomaniac,” and made some translations from 
Horace, under the title of “Echoes from the Sabine 
Farm.” 

Mr. Field has written the most beautiful lullabies 
and cradle songs ever composed. His “Norse Lulla¬ 
by,” probably being the favorite, and it has lulled 
many a baby into peaceful sleep. 

Eugene Field died in 1895, and few poets have 
been mourned more. It has become a beautiful 
custom in many schools to hold Eugene Field Day 
exercises on the poet’s birthday, a very loving and 
appropriate tribute to his memory. 



Cooper is one of the most romantic figures in the 
history of American literature, and his was probably 
the most stormy career of any American writer. 
Strangest of all of the varied incidents of Cooper’s 
life is the way in which he became an author and the 
pioneer of American literature. It is said that one 
day while he was reading an English novel aloud to 
his wife he threw it down in disgust, saying that he 
thought he could write a better book himself. So 
to prove that he could do it Cooper wrote a two 
volume novel called “Precaution,” which appeared 
anonymously in 1821. It was a story of London 
society life about which the young man knew noth¬ 
ing, and was never successful. As soon as Cooper 
began writing about the country and people which 
he knew so well his work became successful. 

James Fenimore Cooper was born the fifteenth 
of September, 1789, in Burlington, New Jersey. 
When the little boy was only a year old his parents 


153 


154 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


went to Otsego Lake, New York, where they started 
the town of Cooperstown. James was the next to the 
youngest of twelve children, most of whom died in 
infancy. 

The little boy spent most of his childhood 
wandering in the wilderness that stretched on every 
side of his home, where he met with many adven¬ 
tures and made friends with the Indians. The beauty 
and wildness of the scenery made an indelible im¬ 
pression on the boys mind, from which he afterward 
wove many of his best stories. He was sent to a 
school in the village, and after a while he was sent 
to Albany to complete his education. While in this 
city he stayed with the rector of St. Peters, together 
with three or four other boys. The rector was a 
wonderful man and had a strong influence over 
Cooper, but when he died in 1802 the boy had to go 
home. 

Desiring a better education it was not long till 
Cooper entered Yale, being the second to the young¬ 
est student enrolled in the college. He, himself, 
claims that he was a very poor student, preferring to 
take solitary walks to studying. In his third year 
Cooper was dismissed from college because he took 
part in a rather disreputable frolic. Then he decided 
that he would enter the navy, and as there were no 
naval schools at that time he sailed on a ship from 
New York in the autumn of 1806. The ship was 
bound for Cowes, now called Sterling, and for forty 


JAMES F. COOPER 


155 


days no land was seen. The incidents that happened 
on this voyage were later used by Cooper in his sea 
tales. The young man was appointed a midshipman 
in 1808, and his father died the next year. 

In 1811 Cooper married Miss DeLancey, a young 
lady of Hugenot descent, and because she objected 
to the long delays that a sea voyage required he gave 
up his naval career. For a time his life was very 
unsettled, but after his mother’s death in 1817, it 
seemed he must do something. Five daughters and 
two sons came to brighten Cooper’s home, but 
several of them died while still small. The second 
daughter, Susan Augusta, was also an author. 

Cooper’s first books appeared in the spring of 
1821, followed by “The Spy” in the spring of 1822, a 
story of war that at once established his reputation 
as a writer in this country as well as in Europe. In 
1823 “The Pioneers,” the first of the Leather Stock¬ 
ing tales appeared, followed by “The Pilot,” the first 
of a series of sea tales, in the same year. In 1825 
“Lionel Lincoln,” or the “Leaguer of Boston,” was 
published, which is a story of crime long hidden from 
the knowledge of men, but which haunted the mem¬ 
ories of those concerned. The book was a failure, for 
Cooper again wrote something he knew very little 
about. In 1826 appeared “The Last of the Mo¬ 
hicans,” which was soon dramatized and acted, and 
which brought Cooper to the height of his popularity. 


156 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


On the first of June of the year in which “The 
Last of the Mohicans” appeared Cooper went to 
Europe, where he stayed for seven and a half years, 
for two or three years being a consul at Lyons. Dur¬ 
ing this time he was a very prolific writer and “The 
Red Rover” appeared in 1828, followed by “Notions 
of the Americans Picked up by a Traveling Bachelor.” 
This book and later ones contrasted many things in 
England with those existing in America, and the 
Americans began to grow very bitter against Cooper. 
From the time these books appeared in America the 
pioneer author’s popularity began to rapidly wane. In 
1835 “The Monikins,” a satirical novel telling about 
the social and political evils in America and England, 
was published. From 1836 to 1838 Cooper had ten 
volumes of travel stories published, the first of which 
was “Sketches of Switzerland.” These books awoke 
further criticism in the heart of his country-men and 
he became as unpopular as he had once been popular. 
In 1837 a novel entitled “Homeward Bound” ap¬ 
peared, followed the same year by a sequel “Home as 
Found,” which were really criticisms of American 
life and were bitterly denounced. In 1839 Cooper 
published his “History of the United States Navy,” 
and despite many attacks it was very successful. In 
1840 “The Pathfinder” appeared, followed by “The 
Deerslayer” the next year. 

Other books appeared in great rapidity, many of 
which were not successful. In 1847 Cooper, who 


JAMES F. COOPER 157 

after his return from Europe in 1833, had lived in 
Coopertown, went as far west as Detroit. 

In 1850 the author wrote a comedy named “Up¬ 
side Down,” or “Philosophy in Petticoats,” which 
was played three nights and then withdrawn. “The 
Ways of the Hour,” a book which was printed in 
1850, was the last of Cooper’s books to be published. 

Cooper joined the Episcopal Church in 1851, 
dying on the fourteenth of September, 1857. A little 
over four months afterward his wife died and both 
were buried in the cemetery at Christ Church in the 
town in which they lived so long. 



I'Zaak Walton 

Probably there has never lived a boy who did not 
like to go fishing. We feel sure that Izaak Walton 
loved to cast a baited line better than do anything 
else. The boys who have read Walton’s “Complete 
Angler” marvel at his great love of fishing, and they 
enjoy his gentle humor and good nature. It is nearly 
as much a joy to read this old book filled with attrac¬ 
tive rural pictures as it is to go a-fishing. 

Little is known about the boyhood of Izaak Wal¬ 
ton because he lived so many years ago, but it is 
known that he was born on the ninth of August, 1593. 
Records prove that he was born in St. Mary’s parish 
in Strafford, England. His mother was a Protestant, 
and doubtless both of his parents were great lovers 
of nature. The little boy grew active and strong, but 
there are no records left to tell us of his education. 
He probably received most of his learning at home, 
and the rest from Mother Nature, the great teacher. 

Records have been found which show that the boy 
went to work first in a mercantile firm. He was 
158 


IZAAK WALTON 


159 


frugal and industrious, even though he liked to make 
many trips to the nearest creek. After a while he was 
employed in a wholesale linen house, and then as a 
draper. When he was eighteen years old he went to 
London and became apprenticed to an iron-monger. 

While still in his teens Walton married Anne 
Kerr, and he had one son, Izaak, and a daughter, 
Anne. Later the girl became the wife of Doctor 
William Hawkins. 

For a time Walton was engaged as a merchant at 
Hamburg, where he wrote “The Life of Dr. Donne,” 
which had been started by Sir Henry Notton, who 
died before the manuscript was completed. A short 
time later Walton with his family retired to a small 
estate in Straff or dshire. The young man had always 
been very fond of sacred music and fine arts, and here 
surrounded himself with these things. Many learned 
and gifted men were his companions. 

From 1644 to 1651 Walton traveled about Eng¬ 
land, being welcomed in the homes of some of the 
most eminent clergymen. Angling, as fishing was 
called in England in those days, was a much talked 
about subject, and Walton was an interesting talker 
on this topic. It was his custom to spend at least one- 
tenth of his time in this amusement, and most of the 
fish he caught he would give to the poor. He would 
say, “Charity gave life to religion.” By this time 
Walton had become a skilled fisherman. 


160 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


When he finished his travels Walton went back to 
his little estate and spent much of his time fishing in 
the Lea River. Here, close to nature, he would dream 
and meditate for hours at a time, and it was during 
this time that he wrote the “Complete Angler,” which 
was first published in 1653. It was illustrated with 
elegantly engraved pictures of fish and was very 
attractive. 

The “Complete Angler” has never been read for 
accuracy in fishing, but for its quaint humor and 
simple charm. Five editions of the book were pub¬ 
lished in the author’s lifetime. Beside this tale Wal¬ 
ton wrote several poems and informal biographies. 

Walton died at his daughter’s home in Winchester 
and was buried in a cathedral in that place. On the 
stone under which he lies are engraved these words: 
“Here resteth the body of Mr. Izaak Walton who 
died the 15th of Dec. 1683. 

“Alas! he's gone before, 

Gone to return no more. 

Our panting breasts aspire 
After their aged sire 
Whose well-spent life did last 
Full ninety years and past 
But now he hath begun 
That which will ne'er be done. 

Crowned with eternal bliss, 

We wish our souls with his. 

Votis Modestis Sic Flerunt Liberi!” 



Horace (freely 

We think of February as the birthmonth of such 
famous men as Lincoln, Washington, Lowell and 
Dickens. We seldom stop to consider that it also is 
the birthmonth of many other illustrious men and 
women. Of these, who are less renowned, but are 
equally entitled to our love and reverence, probably 
there is none more worthy than Horace Greely. 

Students of history are familiar with the great 
influence that Horace Greely wielded for the aboli¬ 
tion of slavery. This man was born on February 3, 
1811, in Amherst, New Hampshire. His parents were 
very poor and the family often came near starvation. 
But they were rich in the things that make a good 
and useful character, and Horace inherited much of 
this, adding to these good traits. He grew into a pure 
simple, conscientious man with a disregard for dress, 
or anything ostentatious. In his manners he was 
rather rough and sometimes uncourteous, but at 
heart he was a sincere gentleman. 

161 


162 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


At this time one could not obtain the education 
they can now, but when he was only two years old, it 
is said, that he began reading the newspapers, and 
when four he could read anything. When he was six 
he could spell any word in the English language, was 
well versed in geography and arithmetic and had read 
the entire Bible. As he grew older his passion for 
books increased, and he took a vivid interest in poli¬ 
tics. Because of his parents’ poverty he only re¬ 
ceived a common school education, but being diligent 
he learned much. 

He finished his studies at fifteen, and began an 
apprenticeship in a newspaper office at East Poult- 
ney, Vermont. Here he learned the first lesson in 
what was to be his later profession, which made him 
the most famous pioneer American journalist. 

In 1831 he went to New York City with only ten 
dollars and a few clothes in a bundle on his back. 
He looked awkward and uncouth and the city folks 
laughed at him. For two years he supported him¬ 
self and often sent money to his parents, by doing 
odd jobs in printing offices. Then with two friends, 
who were kind enough to aid him financially, he 
founded the Morning Post. This was the first two- 
cent daily ever published in America, but the people 
were not interested in such things at the time and it 
was a financial failure. 

Undaunted by this misfortune in March 1834, 
Greely began printing the New Yorker, a weekly 


HORACE GREELY 


163 


literary newspaper. This became very popular and 
had a wide circulation of interested readers. It lasted 
seven years, then was combined with another paper. 

In 1840 Greely started the Log Cabin, a weekly 
campaign paper in which he supported William H. 
Harrison for the presidency. The following year this 
paper was merged with the New Yorker and its name 
was changed to the Weekly Tribune. This became a 
very popular newspaper and was read throughout the 
North. The people believed in Greely, and when he 
urged them to help abolish slavery they were subject 
to his influence. In Greely’s heart there was no 
enmity, and at the close of the war he immediately 
pleaded for reconciliation between the states. He was 
one of the men to sign the bond that released Jeffer¬ 
son Davis from two years’ imprisonment. 

In April, 1841, Greely issued the first copies of 
the Daily Tribune, which is still being published in 
New York. In it he wrote many editorials on pro¬ 
tective tariff and antiliquor legislation. Besides being 
a good journalist, Greely possessed unusually good 
conversational ability, and was a forceful lecturer. 
In this capacity he traveled widely through the 
United States and England. He was also a gifted 
writer and wrote several books on political and social 
subjects. Among these were “Hints Toward 
Reforms,” “Glances at Europe,” “Overland Journey 
to San Francisco,” and “Recollections of a Busy 
Life.” 


164 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


Greely was very fond of agriculture and his 
leisure time was spent on a farm. His interest in 
politics continued till his death, and he was one of 
the founders of the Republican party, and a delegate 
to its first national convention. There he used his 
influence to have Lincoln nominated for the presi¬ 
dency. In 1872 he was nominated as representative 
of the Liberal Republicans for the presidency, but 
was defeated by Grant. Though he was a severe 
critic of Grant’s administration, he greatly rever¬ 
enced him. 

Greely’s wife died during the excitement of the 
campaign, and several persons, who posed as friends, 
deserted him. This caused him to lose his mind, and 
the gifted man died on November 29, 1872. The 
strength of his great and beautiful influence still lives 
in this country, and is the most appropriate and last¬ 
ing monument any man could leave. 



Linnaeus 


May brings the birthday of one of the greatest 
naturalists, who has ever lived. Though, Linnaeus 
was not wealthy he yet possessed eyes that could see 
the richness of the beauty of this world, as few other 
men have done, and he helped to teach others to see 
this wealth, too. Linnaeus’ right name was Carl von 
Linne, which was changed to Carolus Linnaeus, in 
Latin, when he was made a nobleman, and it is by 
this name he is best known. 

Carl von Linne was born May 23,1707, in Rashult, 
Sweden. His father was a Lutheran minister with a 
large parish. Even as a baby, Linnaeus showed his 
fondness for animals, flowers and nature, and as he 
grew older showed a marked preference for them. 
His great love for nature puzzled his devoted father, 
for he thought the boy should like books better. He 
hoped Carl would become a minister or doctor, but 
his fear increased that the boy would not, as the years 
passed, and his son grew to love the great out-of- 
doors more and more. 


165 


166 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


The Linnes had a beautiful garden, in which the 
whole family worked, and when Carl was eight years 
old he was given a corner for his very own. He was 
delighted, and filled it with bright flowers, which he 
tended carefully. Try as he would Mr. Linne could 
not get his small son interested in books, and becom¬ 
ing alarmed he took him to a doctor to be examined. 
Doctor Rothe was a kind and understanding man, 
and understood the boy’s desire to be a naturalist 
better than did his father. He advised Mr. Linne to 
let Carl stay with him for a year, which the minister 
consented to do. The doctor had a grand library, 
containing many books on science and nature, into 
which Carl delved. Failing to get Carl interested in 
either the ministry or medicine, at the end of the year 
Doctor Rothe took him to Killam Stobaeus, who was 
physician to the king. 

Doctor Stobaeus had a large collection of natural 
history curiosities that he did not have arranged, and 
put Carl to cataloguing these. The boy’s writing was 
almost illegible, and he had an impatient temper, so 
he often quarreled with the doctor. Several times the 
physician turned him from the house, but upon Carl’s 
promise to do better, let him try again. At last in 
desperation the doctor sent Linnaeus to the Uni¬ 
versity of Upsala. 

Once inside the university, and with his beloved 
nature books, it seemed to the young man he had 
entered a new world. He found unlimited opportuni- 


LINNAEUS 


167 


ties to study botany and the sciences, and was greatly 
encouraged in this by teachers in the institute. In 
Doctor Rudbeck, the professor of botany, the young 
student found a good friend, and supported himself 
by working in the professor’s office. He found chaos 
among the botany and natural history specimens in 
Rudbeck’s office, and arranged them in order. During 
this time he wrote his first book on plant life, which 
was short and appeared in 1729. The same year he 
began a series of tours in which he gave lectures 
about flowers. 

Through the interest and kindness of Doctor Rud¬ 
beck and others in the university, Linnaeus was sent 
on an exploring trip to Lapland. It was as though 
the young botanist had found a new country in which 
to roam to his heart’s satisfaction. Alone, except for 
a horse and dog he remained in Lapland from May to 
November, 1731, exploring the hills and valleys, 
gathering much material. In 1737 he wrote a book 
about the plants he found on this trip, calling it 
“Flora Laponica.” 

By this time Linnaeus had become famous, but 
was earning hardly enough to support himself. Many 
of the persons at Upsala were jealous of him, and 
nicknamed him the “Gypsy Botanist.” Discouraged 
with the treatment he received at the university 
Linnaeus went to live with the famous Professor 
Boerhaave at Amsterdam. Here with a class of 
young naturalists he had many delightful rambles, 


168 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


and during this time he wrote “Fudamenta Botanica,” 
which is one of the most valuable botanies ever 
written. While at the professor’s house he made the 
acquaintance of Peter Kalm, another great naturalist, 
who visited America, and brought back many rich 
specimens of flora for himself and Linnaeus to 
classify* 

Then for a time Linnaeus made his home with Dr. 
Moraeus, whose daughter, Sara, he married. The 
doctor suggested to Linnaeus that he get a degree in 
medicine so he went to Harderuizk and attended 
school there. He was soon awarded a degree, and 
then visited Leyden, where he published the first 
sketch of “Systema Nature.” 

In 1731, Clifford, who was then the English 
ambassador, urged Linnaeus to come and live with 
him at Hartecamp. Linnaeus accepted the invitation, 
and stayed with him the greater part of several years, 
living like a prince. During this time he wrote “Hor- 
tus Cliffordiensis,” and other books. In 1736 he 
visited England, and in 1738 he went to Stockholm, 
as a physician. 

In 1740 Professor Rudbeck died and Linnaeus was 
appointed to succeed him as professor of natural 
history at Upsala University. At last Linnaeus had 
found his life’s work, and in 1750 his “Philosophia 
Botanica” was published. Three years later appeared 
his “Species Plantarum.” In 1778 he started again 
the labors of classifying plants, which he had begun 


LINNAEUS 


169 


when a student. He classified them according to the 
number of stamens and pistils, which was a great 
improvement on any classification then in existence, 
and from which he was given the name “Father of 
modern botany.” To him science is also indebted for 
a new system of naming plants. 

During this time Linnaeus wrote a book, 
“Heaven’s First Law,” a treatise on minerology and 
zoology, which made him an authority in science, as 
well as botany. He wrote about a hundred and eighty 
books, which were about either plants or science. 
Shortly after his scientific book was published, he was 
given the Knight of Polar title, with the rank of 
nobility. 

Busy all his life Linnaeus died from apoplexy on 
his beautiful estate near Upsala, in 1778, but his 
memory has lived through all the years. 





Louis cAgassiz 


“The book of nature is always open, and all that 
I can do or say, shall be to lead young people to study 
that book, and not to pin their faith in any other,” 
wrote Louis Agassiz, one of the greatest naturalists 
who has ever lived. He not only loved nature, and 
sought to teach others to see its wonders and beau¬ 
ties, but was a co-worker with God to help increase 
the loveliness of this world. 

Louis Agassiz was born the twenty-eighth day of 
May in 1807, in a tiny cottage in the Swiss Alps, not 
far from the shores of Lake Neuchatel. His father, 
Benjamin Agassiz, was a refined minister and teacher, 
and his mother was a cultivated woman of unusual 
character. 

Perhaps it was because the small boy was sur¬ 
rounded, from the time he opened his eyes, by the 
picturesque beauty of Switzerland, that he learned to 
love the great out-of-doors so passionately. As a 
170 


LOUIS AGASSIZ 


171 


small boy he showed his natural inclination, and 
loved nature above all things. As soon as he was old 
enough to care for animals he gathered about him 
hares, rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, birds, and other ani¬ 
mals. He was still a child when he resolved that he 
would be a naturalist when he grew older, and noth¬ 
ing could change his determination. Louis was not 
sent to school until he was ten years old, but his par¬ 
ents taught him many things, and he learned much 
from nature. He was taught to reverence all things 
beautiful, good and true, and to love the reverence of 
God. He was a strong, active boy, keenly interested 
in football, swimming, fencing and other athletics. 

As he grew older Louis* love for animals in¬ 
creased, and once while he was going to college he 
had forty birds nesting in his room. From cater¬ 
pillars he raised many beautiful butterflies, adding 
much to his knowledge of nature in this way. All the 
time he could spare from his studies, and he was a 
good student, Louis spent roaming through the fields, 
coming home loaded with shells, insects and other 
trophies. He was surprised to find that he knew more 
about nature than could be found in text books at 
that time. 

It was partly through the kindness of an uncle, 
and by working his own way as a tutor that Louis 
got through college. When he was twenty-one years 
old he wrote his first book of distinction, a treatise on 


172 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


nature. When he was a year older he wrote to his 
father, “I wish it may be said of Louis Agassiz that 
he was the first naturalist of his time, a good citizen 
and beloved of those who knew him.” He grew into 
just such a man as he hoped to be, and his bright, kind 
ways made him scores of friends wherever he went. 

His parents, fearing he could not support himself 
from the sciences, urged Louis to take a course in 
medicine, so he became a student at a medical school 
in Zurich. Later he went to Heidelburg, but all the 
time he cherished an opportunity to study Brazilian 
fishes, with a noted naturalist. This later lead him 
to make an extensive investigation of European fishes 
and fossils, which in turn made him become greatly 
interested in geology. 

A few years later when the University of Neucha- 
tel was established, Agassiz was chosen head of the 
natural science department. He was one of those rare 
men, who combine the ability of research in science 
with the power of inspiring other men. At this time 
Agassiz was considered the greatest authority in the 
world on marine zoology, but won his greatest fame 
for the enthusiasm with which he imparted his 
knowledge to others. 

Soon after becoming professor at the university, 
Agassiz established a scientific society to explore the 
Alpine glaciers, and a museum. So great were his 
scientific discoveries that he soon became famous, 


LOUIS AGASSIZ 


173 


and the King of Prussia recognizing the great value 
of his work to science, gave him a grant to carry on 
further investigation. This brought him to America 
in 1847, and he was appointed a professor at Harvard 
College. He helped establish the American Associa¬ 
tion for the Advancement of Science, and gave the 
country a museum equal to anything in Europe. He 
also founded the first school of science in this country, 
at Penikese, Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, which 
was opened the year of his death. It was the first 
zoological laboratory built amid the haunts of the 
animals to be studied. 

In 1849, his son, Alexander, came to the United 
States, and under his famous father’s guidance made 
a special study of zoology and geology. He gradu¬ 
ated from Harvard in 1857, and became one of the 
greatest authorities on fishes. 

Louis Agassiz died in 1873, and was buried in 
Mount Auburn cemetery at Cambridge. Over his 
grave is a great boulder from the glaciers in Switzer¬ 
land, where he made his first important observation 
in geology, and a pine, brought from his native 
village, shelters the ground beneath which he lies. 

A beautiful memory to this talented man is the 
Agassiz Association, an organization which has been 
very successful in interesting the young people in 
nature study. This organization was founded in 1879 
by Harlan H. Ballard, and has spread till there are 


174 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

branches in most civilized countries, with 12,000 to 
15,000 members. The head of this association is at 
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and one of the free offers 
is a correspondence instruction in nature study. An 
offer of prizes is made yearly for original research 
work. 


0 



John Eliot 

In every movement and reform there must be a 
pioneer and John Eliot was as much the pioneer of 
missionaries as Daniel Boone was of the early 
settlers. The influence of his life not only lives still in 
his religious teachings and activities but in his 
writings, which were of lasting value. 

Because John Eliot was born so many years ago 
very little is known of his boyhood and early life, and 
it is not known exactly what date he was born. The 
little boy probably came to earth sometime in July or 
the first part of August, 1604, for records have been 
found stating that he was baptized on the fifth of 
August, and giving his birthplace as Wilford, Hert¬ 
fordshire, England. His father, Bennett Eliot, was a 
middle class farmer, and the beauty and freedom of 
the life on his father’s farm grew in the boy’s heart. 

Doubtless, Eliot, like the other boys and girls of 
the time, was sent to the schools and given the best 
175 


176 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

education then obtainable. He took a degree of B.A. 
from Jesus College, Cambridge, 1622, and it is 
thought that shortly after graduating he entered the 
ministry of the Established Church. But nothing 
definite is known about John Eliot until 1629, when 
records prove that he became an usher at the Rever¬ 
end Thomas Hooker school near Chemsford. Hooker 
was a staunch Puritan, and it was probably through 
his influence that the young man determined to 
become a Puritan, but in 1630 his connection with the 
school ceased. 

A short time later religious persecutions forced 
Hooker into exile and made young Eliot awaken 
to the fact of the difficulties that confronted a non¬ 
confirming clergyman in that country. After much 
deliberation Eliot decided to emigrate to America, 
and in the autumn of 1631, he reached Boston* For 
a time he assisted in the First Church and even in 
those days was greatly interested in the lives of the 
Indians and wondered what he could do to help them. 

The next November the youthful minister became 
a “teacher” to the church at Roxbury, with which 
he was connected until his death. Shortly after 
coming to Roxbury he was married to Hannah Mul- 
ford, to whom he had become engaged in England, 
and she was ever a faithful helper in all his work. 

At Roxbury Eliot became associated with 
Thomas Welde, Samuel Danforth and others who 
were greatly interested in the Indians and their wel- 


JOHN ELIOT 


177 


fare, and the enthusiastic young minister became 
inspired with the thought of converting the Indians. 
He decided that the first step toward this work 
would be to perfect himself in the dialects of the 
various tribes, and so he persuaded a young Indian to 
stay with him. With the aid of this Indian he trans¬ 
lated various religious material. 

The “Bay Psalm Book” was the first work to be 
translated and appeared in the Indian tongue in 1640, 
followed by a “Catechism” in 1653, which was the 
first book published in the Indian tongue. John Eliot 
worked hard with his translations and in 1661 com¬ 
pleted the first translation of the New Testament, 
and two years later the Old. These were bound 
together and a catechism and metrical version of the 
Psalms were added. In 1663 another edition of the 
Bible was printed, followed by still another in 1665, 
in which Reverend John Cotton assisted. 

In 1660 “The Christian Commonwealth” appeared 
a curious treatise on the government. In 1663-1664 
Eliot’s translations of Bishop Baylep’s Practice of 
Piety was printed, and the same year with the assist¬ 
ance of his sons he brought out an Indian Grammar. 
In 1669 an Indian Primer containing parts of the 
Lord’s Prayer and the translation of the Larger 
Catechism were printed at Cambridge. It was 
reprinted in 1877. In 1671 the dauntless young 
minister published in English a little book called 
“Indian Dialogues.” In 1678 his “Harmony of the 


178 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


Gospels,” a life of Jesus Christ, was printed. Eliot’s 
last translation was Thomas Shepard’s “Sincere Con¬ 
vert,” which was completed and published by Grindal 
Rawson in 1689. 

It was during his life at Roxbury that Eliot first 
preached to the Indians in their own tongue at New¬ 
ton in October, 1664. It was here that he was first 
nicknamed “Apostle to the Indians,” which appela- 
tion clung to him ever afterward. The young minister 
continued these meetings and at the third one several 
Indians declared themselves converted and were 
followed by many others. Eliot glowed with his suc¬ 
cess and his enthusiasm and interest made him think 
of various plans for the betterment of his red 
brothers. 

Eliot laid various plans before the Massachusetts 
State Government and finally induced them to set 
aside land for the residences of the Indians. The 
same body of the government voted to give the 
pioneer minister ten pounds to help in his work 
among the Indians and also elected two men to go as 
ministers to the Indians. Eliot’s endeavors became 
widely known and causing much interest, and before 
long money came from both England and New Eng¬ 
land. So interested did Parliament become in Eliot’s 
activities among the Indians that they incorporated 
an organization known as the “Society for the Propa¬ 
gation of the Gospel,” which supported and directed 
the work started by Eliot. 

Eliot’s success as a missionary encouraged others, 
and soon many were active in religious work among 


JOHN ELIOT 


179 


the Indians. The missionary founded the Indian 
village of Nonantum, which he later removed to 
Natick, and he formed a special government for the 
town. A second town, under his supervision and with 
the aid of Daniel Gookin, was made at Ponkapog in 
1654. 

In 1674 there were over four thousand Indian con¬ 
verts in America, but the breaking out of King 
Phillip’s war was a detriment to missionary enter¬ 
prises. Few of the Indians proved disloyal; however, 
the war caused an interruption, but in a few years 
the missions again began to prosper. They were at 
their greatest height when the Apostle to the Indians, 
by which title his Indian followers usually addressed 
him, died on the twenty-first of May, 1690* 



c Peter Cartwright 


Peter Cartwright was one of the most picturesque 
and interesting figures of pioneer days in the central 
and east central states. He was a wild and reckless 
boy, fond of adventure, gambling, horse racing and 
other dissipations. But he was converted at a great 
camp meeting when he was about sixteen years of age 
and probably did more than any other single person 
to establish the Methodist religion through the states 
in which he traveled. 

Peter Cartwright’s father fought for two years in 
the Revolutionary War, and his son inherited much 
of his soldierly spirit. Although he never fought in 
a real war many tales are told of how he fought in his 
religious campaigns. Peter was born on the first of 
September, 1785, in Amherst County, Virginia, on 
the James River. When he was five years old his par¬ 
ents went to live in Logan County, Kentucky, a mile 
from the Tennessee border line. Cartwright’s parents 
were very poor so Peter had very few advantages, 
and as there were few schools in the wilderness the 


180 


PETER CARTWRIGHT 


181 


little boy had few chances to obtain an education. 

Even though Peter was what they call a “bad 
boy,” he still admired things that were good and when 
in his ninth year, Jacob Lurton, a traveling Method¬ 
ist preacher, held services nearby no one was a better 
listener than Peter. This was the first sermon that 
the child ever heard and it made a deep impression on 
him, but he did not then join the class of thirteen 
members that organized. This little society ebbed and 
flowed till 1799, when a great revival was held in that 
region, followed by the building of a little church 
called the “Ebenezer.” This was the turning point of 
Cartwright’s career and he decided that he must 
obtain an education in some way. 

After a time Peter obtained his father’s consent to 
send him for instruction to Doctor Allen, a former 
traveling preacher, with whom he also boarded. 
Allen had been a minister, but having been involved 
in trouble gave up preaching and practiced medicine. 
Time passed and the population of the pioneer coun¬ 
try increased, and one night Peter with his father and 
older half-brother went to a wedding where he heard 
another minister pray. The boy came home thinking 
how wicked he had been that day, and he became 
gravely troubled over the things he had done and 
soon began praying. His mother heard him and was 
very glad that her son’s heart was touched at last. 
That June he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
For two or three years after Cartwright’s conversion 


182 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


great revivals spread through Kentucky, Tennessee 
and the Carolinas, and in 1803 Cartwright was 
accepted into the regular ministry. 

That fall the Cartwrights removed from Logan 
County to the mouth of the Cumberland River, eighty 
miles from the nearest circuit traveled by an itinerant 
preacher. The presiding elder gave the young man 
permission to accept a circuit in this district, which 
was the beginning of his life as probably the most 
famous circuit rider who ever lived. The following 
winter Cartwright determined to get a better educa¬ 
tion, so started to Brown’s Academy, a school near 
his home, but before long there was religious trouble 
so he quit and prepared to start on the circuit marked 
out for him. His father died in 1805, and in the fall 
of 1806 he was ordained a deacon, and a short time 
later married Frances Gaines. 

Although Cartwright lacked an education he was 
a clear and forcible speaker. In his autobiography he 
states that during his life as a circuit rider he traveled 
on eleven circuits and in twelve districts. That he 
took about ten thousand members into the church and 
baptized about eight thousand children and four 
thousand adults, and conducted about five hundred 
funerals. Many tales have been told about his eccen¬ 
tric habits, his courage and his endurance. It is said 
that he often found the “arm of flesh” a better suasion 
than his tongue, and he was not afraid to use his 
arms. But all of his life, after his conversion, was a 


PETER CARTWRIGHT 


183 


powerful influence for good, and in his way he did as 
much for his country as any pioneer. 

In 1808 Peter Cartwright was elected and or¬ 
dained an elder, and though his circuits were changed 
frequently he kept traveling through Kentucky and 
Tennessee till 1823. In that year he made a trip on 
horseback to Sangamon County, Illinois, where he 
bought a little place in a struggling pioneer region. 
The next year he moved his family, consisting of his 
wife, two sons and four daughters, to this place, his 
third daughter being killed on the way by a falling 
tree. In the new home three more daughters were 
born. 

The indomitable spirit and courage of Cartwright 
did much for the little community, and was soon felt 
all over the central region as he traveled about hold¬ 
ing “meetings” wherever he could. He was also an 
ardent enthusiast of educational and political affairs 
and did much to further their interests in the pioneer 
country. When the state capital was at Vandalia, 
Cartwright was a member of the Democratic ticket of 
the state legislature. He was Abraham Lincoln’s 
unsuccessful opponent in a campaign for election to 
Congress. 

Peter Cartwright died in 1872, after a long life of 
usefulness and lies buried in the quiet little village of 
Pleasant Plains, Sangamon County, where so many 
of his greatest activities were conducted. 



Stephen C. poster 


Perhaps it was because Stephen C. Foster was 
born on the fourth of July that his heart was so full 
of patriotism. Foster was born in Pittsburgh, Penn¬ 
sylvania, in 1826, where his boyhood and early youth 
were spent. He was of a retiring nature, glowing 
with imagination and fancies, and the people among 
whom he lived gave him little consideration. They 
saw nothing in the boy that to them seemed extraor¬ 
dinary. 

The music and few songs that he composed while 
living in Pittsburgh, they considered too trivial to 
deserve their more serious attention. But all the time 
they were harboring in their midst a lad who was 
later to write one of the most popular negro melodies 
ever written. 

When still a young man Foster went to Cincin¬ 
nati, Ohio, as a bookkeeper. At that time Cincinnati 


184 


STEPHEN C. FOSTER 


185 


held a strange attraction for adventurers, and was a 
Mecca for the pioneer of the East. Here Foster came 
into contact with negro life, which inspired most of 
his famous plantation songs. The picturesque, joyous 
life of the darkies, as they went about singing at their 
labors, impressed the imagination of the young man 
deeply. While Foster always preferred his senti¬ 
mental songs to his negro ditties, yet it was the latter 
that made him famous. The simple, gripping charm 
of his songs appealed to every heart, and when once 
heard they kept lingering in the memory. Foster also 
wrote some sacred songs which were popular at the 
time, but are seldom seen or heard now. Among 
these were: “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread,” 
“What Shall the Harvest Be” and “The Angels Are 
Singing to Me.” 

“My Old Kentucky Home” was among the first 
negro melodies that Foster wrote. It was written 
while he was visiting Judge Rowan, an intimate 
friend who lived in a roomy, old colonial brick house 
near Bardstown, Kentucky. This was one of the first 
brick houses built in the country, and was surrounded 
by three hundred and fifty acres of good land. One 
evening, after Foster had visited a cotton plantation 
and saw hundreds of negroes picking cotton, he went 
to his room and wrote the words of the popular song. 

On his return to Cincinnati the young bookkeeper 
sold the words and music of his song to Christy, a 
popular minstrel of the time, for five hundred dollars. 


186 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


In those days singers traveled over the country sing¬ 
ing the new songs, and they were always in search of 
the latest ones that would appeal to the people. “My 
Old Kentcky Home” became so popular in this way 
that over 400,000 copies were sold in four years. The 
royalties Foster received amounted to huge sums. 
With the exception of “Home Sweet Home,” this 
negro melody has been translated more extensively 
than any other song. Every part of Europe has its 
version of it, and it is even sung by the natives in dif¬ 
ferent parts of Africa. After its appearance Foster 
was no longer an obscure song writer, and he could 
not escape popularity. Everywhere he was feted and 
honored, and throughout it all he remained the same, 
simple, modest man. He often expressed the wish 
that he could get away from the public’s applause. 

Though without any special training Foster wrote 
about one hundred and seventy songs, also com¬ 
posing the music for many of them. Among his 
better known negro melodies is “Old Folks at 
Home,” sometimes called “Suwanee River,” which 
has touched the heart of so many. The following 
account is given of the circumstances under which 
Mr. Foster wrote this sweet old song once when pass¬ 
ing through Kentucky, and while the stagecoach was 
stopped at a wayside inn to permit the horses to be 
changed. Foster stood near, watching the operation 
with some degree of interest. The darkies were slow 
and lazy, and made no degree of haste in performing 


STEPHEN C. FOSTER 


187 


their duty, chattering meanwhile in the manner and 
dialect peculiar to themselves. Finally one, deploring 
his hard lot, said, “I wish I was back to the old folks 
at home.” 

“Where was that?” asked another. 

The first rejoined, “Way down upon the Suwanee 
River.” 

The novelty of the words caught the quick ear of 
the poet. He recognized in them, and the theme they 
suggested, an appropriate subject for a song, and that 
evening when he reached his destination, wrote both 
words and music for which later he received five hun¬ 
dred dollars. The song was instantaneously success¬ 
ful. Over one hundred thousand copies were sold in 
the next few years, and even now no song of reminis¬ 
cence is dearer to the public than the familiar strains 
of “Way Down upon the Suwanee River.” 

Among Mr. Foster’s less popular songs are 
“Massa’s in the Cold, Cold Ground,” “Old Black 
Joe,” “Hard Times Come Again,” “Way Down 
South Where de Cotton Grows” and “Uncle Ned.” 
Among his most popular sentimental songs are 
“Ellen Bayne,” “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair,” 
“Nelly Was a Lady,” “Oh, Susanna,” “Come Where 
My Love Lies Dreaming,” “Louisiana Belle,” “Nellie 
Bly,” “Old Dog Tray” and “Gentle Anna.” 

The talented man wrote a number of songs which 
referred directly to the Civil War, and were widely 
sung during the Civil War. Of these perhaps the most 


188 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

popular was, “We Are Coming, Father Abraham,” 
over 300,000 copies being sold, and at a time when 
not many persons were buying music. Others were 
“Fighting for the Flag,” “For the Dear Old Flag I’d 
Die,” “Stand Up for the Flag” and “I’ll Be a Sol¬ 
dier,” but none of these are often sung now. 

Stephen Foster died in 1864, leaving in his songs 
a lasting memorial. 



John Howard < Thyne 

“Home, home, sweet, sweet home! 

Be it ever so humble, 

There’s no place like home.” 

How many hearts have thrilled at the sound of 
that sweet refrain! How many eyes have been wet 
with tears as memories bring back again fancies of 
some childhood home. Yet how few have ever paused 
to think through what tribulations the author of 
those words must have passed before he could so ably 
express the heart cry of everybody. 

Few authors have lived and died in the romantic 
way that John Howard Payne, author of “Home, 
Sweet Home,” did. The gifted man was born on the 
ninth of June, 1781. It was one of those “humble, 
thatched cottages,” which the author mentions in the 
song in which he was born. And in similar cottages 
he spent most of his boyhood in East Hampton, Long 
Island, later going to Boston. But wherever he was 
the birds sang sweetly around his home, the winds 
189 


190 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

sighed softly, the flowers bloomed in beauty, and all 
was love because peace was in Payne’s heart. 

Payne’s father was a teacher, and at one time was 
principal of Clinton Academy in East Hampton, and 
later a master in a Boston school. His mother was a 
daughter of a Jew, and taught her children high 
ideals and a pure faith in the good of all things. In 
“Our Neglected Poets” Payne has left a beautiful and 
enduring picture of his home and life in East Hamp¬ 
ton. 

From the very beginning Payne was a good 
speaker, being able to portray emotions vividly, and 
an eloquent speaker. An actor overhearing the boy 
wanted to put him on the stage, but his father refused 
to listen to this proposition. Thinking to turn the 
desire of his son in another direction Mr. Payne sent 
John to New York City to work in a counting house. 
Though Payne was only thirteen years old the spirit 
of adventure was already glowing in his soul and he 
became deeply interested in literature. He spent most 
of his spare moments publishing a little paper of 
dramatic news which he called “The Thespian Mir¬ 
ror.” This small paper attracted the attention of Wil¬ 
liam Coldman, editor of the New York Evening Post, 
and through his influence he succeeded in getting 
John E. Seaman, a wealthy New York philanthropist, 
interested in Payne. Mr. Seaman, seeing that the boy 
was very talented sent him to Union College. 


JOHN HOWARD PAYNE 


191 


Payne was very fond of pleasure, and his love for 
adventure overweighed his love for study, so he was 
frequently reprimanded. His discipline became worse 
and worse until it led to a break between himself and 
benefactor. The boy tried then to make his living by 
publishing a college paper, which he called “Pastime,” 
but it proved to be a real failure. At last through pov¬ 
erty he became repentant and went back to Mr. Sea¬ 
man to beg to be forgiven, and asked for another trial 
at the university. Mr. Seaman readily forgave the 
boy, for he was convinced that he possessed unusual 
talent, and after a good many lapses of discipline he 
put him under the care of the professor. After that 
Payne made rapid progress in his studies, and was 
known as a good student. 

On the eighteenth of June, 1807, Payne’s mother 
died, and he left college to go to his Boston home. 
He never returned, and went to Washington where 
for a time he worked as a clerk in the pension office. 
But he did not like his work, and his love for pleasure 
and adventure were still uppermost in his soul. Two 
years later he began his stage career as an actor at 
Park Theater, New York, something he had always 
longed to try to do. At the same time he tried writ¬ 
ing some plays. 

From the time he entered the stage until his 
death, Payne became a homeless wanderer, but he 
was never a vagrant or idler, though often poor and 
in dire distress. This part of his life is well described 


192 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

in Will Carleton’s beautiful poem, “Home,” part of 
which is: 

“But he who in thy praises was sweetest and best, 
Who wrote that great song full of soothing and rest, 
‘Through pleasures and palaces we may roam, 

Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home’— 
He who, in a moment unfettered by art, 

Let that heavenly song fly from the nest of his heart, 
He wandered the earth, all forgot and alone, 

And ne’er till he died had a home of his own!” 

Payne’s winsome and charming manners, his opti¬ 
mistic spirit and culture made him make friends of 
all who met him, and his industry and piety never left 
him. Out of this experience and the memories of his 
childhood came the inspiration to write the song that 
will never die. Though tradition tells many tales 
about how “Home, Sweet Home” was written, Payne 
himself explained it in this way: 

“I first heard the air in Italy. One beautiful morn¬ 
ing as I was strolling along amid beautiful scenery, 
my attention was arrested by the sweet voice of a 
peasant girl who was carrying a basket laden with 
flowers and vegetables. This plaintive air she trilled 
with so much sweetness and simplicity that the mel¬ 
ody at once caught my fancy. I spoke to her, and, 
after a few moments I asked for the name of the 
song, which she could not give me—but having some 
slight knowledge of music myself, barely enough for 


JOHN HOWARD PAYNE 


193 


the purpose, I requested her to repeat the air, which 
she did, while I jotted down the notes as best I could. 
It was the air which suggested the words of Home, 
Sweet Home.” Then he continued, “Both of which I 
sent to Bishop at the same time I was preparing the 
opera of Clari for Mr. Kemble. Bishop happened to 
know the air perfectly well and adapted music to the 
words.” 

The music which the peasant girl was singing was 
an old Sicilian air, and it was the words more than 
anything else that made “Home, Sweet Home” so 
popular. For the opera of “Clari” Payne received 
thirty dollars, and all but the author grew rich off the 
proceeds. “Home, Sweet Home,” was first sung on 
the eighth of May, 1823, in Covent Garden, London. 
So enthusiastic were the London people over it that is 
spread rapidly, and when in 1850, the famous Jenny 
Lind sang it at Washington Theater many illustrious 
people were in the audience. Among these being 
Payne himself, President Fillmore, Daniel Webster, 
Henry Clay, General Scott and other prominent men. 
The singer thrilled her hearers so that everyone be¬ 
came wildly enthusiastic and the song immediately 
became a great success in this country, also. After 
that is was translated into many foreign tongues. 

After ten years of literary work in Europe, Payne 
returned to the United States, with the determination 
henceforth to make this country his home. Every¬ 
where he was met with great acclaim and many hon- 


194 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


ors were bestowed upon him. But the spirit of 
adventure had not yet left Payne’s heart and when 
another ten years had passed, in 1842, when he 
received the appointment of United States consul to 
Tunis, Africa, he once more left his native shores. 
Here he served till 1845, and was reappointed. Dur¬ 
ing this time he was very hard at work upon a book, 
when he became seriously ill of a fever. After a long 
and tedious illness he died on the first of April, 1852, 
and was buried in St. George’s cemetery on the 
shores of the Mediterranean Sea. A monument was 
placed over the grave where his body lay for thirty 
years. 

Through the efforts of W. W. Corcoran, a phi¬ 
lanthropist, stirred by hearing the United States 
Marine band play “Home, Sweet Home,” and the in¬ 
terest of President Chester A. Arthur, Payne’s body 
was brought back to this country in 1883. In June 
with appropriate exercises, and a chorus of one thou¬ 
sand voices blended in the singing of “Home, Sweet 
Home,” Payne’s body was interred in Oak Hill Cem¬ 
etery, Washington. The ceremonies being attended 
by President Arthur and members of Congress. 

There have been two memorials erected to Payne 
in this country. The memorial at Union College, 
Schenectady, New York, is a gateway, ninety feet 
wide. A bronze tablet is inscribed with four of the 
authorized verses of “Home, Sweet Home,” and in the 
niche of another tablet is a bronze bust of the author. 


JOHN HOWARD PAYNE 


195 


In the college library, which Payne attended, the 
most prized possession is the original manuscript of 
the song written in Payne’s hand. The other memo¬ 
rial to Payne is his old boyhood home at East Hamp¬ 
ton, Long Island, which has been kept just as it was 
when the wandering minstrel lived there so many 
years ago. 



Vw ^Dycl^ 


March the twenty-second brings us the birthday 
of Sir Anthonis Van Dyck, one of the most refined 
portrait painters who ever lived. He was born in the 
quaint old city of Antwerp in 1599. 

Unlike so many of the parents of our famous men, 
Van Dyck’s were cultured and in good circumstances. 
His mother was a skillful tapestry weaver, and was 
considered as much of an artist in this work as her 
talented son later became in his painting. From her 
the boy learned the value of the harmony of colors, 
one of the greatest charms of his paintings. 

Van Dyck was an intelligent boy, and soon fin¬ 
ished his school education, during which time he 
showed a great talent for sketching faces. When he 
was only fifteen years old he became the pupil of 
Rubens, one of the most famous and talented of our 
artists. Van Dyck worked so hard and was gifted 
with so much ability that he was soon assisting 
Rubens in giving lessons to others. 

196 


VAN DYCK 


197 


After leaving Rubens, Van Dyck went to Italy, 
and for five years studied at Genoa, Rome and Ven¬ 
ice. In 1627 he returned to Antwerp and started a 
studio of his own. He soon made a reputation as a 
fashionable portrait painter, and was kept busy paint¬ 
ing portraits of society folk. 

Beside the possession of such a wonderful talent, 
Van Dyck was a man of rare and beautiful character. 
He had a charming and genial nature, which made 
him a great society favorite, and being a delightful 
conversationalist he made many friends. .He was a 
great lover of dogs, horses, and music, and visitors 
at his studio were usually entertained with the latest 
songs as well as classical music. 

In 1632 he received an appointment as court 
painter to Charles I of England. The king had heard 
so much of Van Dyck that on his arrival he knighted 
him. During his stay at the court he painted over 
three hundred portraits, most of them being of dis¬ 
tinguished persons, and few pictures are more widely 
known than those of the children of the royal family. 

Although Van Dyck painted some historical, 
religious, and mythological pictures, it is for his life¬ 
like portraits he is best known. He was forty-two 
years old when he died, but he had painted over a 
thousand pictures. He was buried at Saint Paul’s 
Cathedral in London. Although he died so many 
years ago, in his pictures he has left a lasting 
memory. 



Johann (Jutenberg 


No inventor had a harder struggle than Guten¬ 
berg, and no man has done more for the world. 
Through his ingenious invention of the printing press 
we are greatly indebted for our present-day educa¬ 
tion, our numerous books, newspapers, magazines, 
and other literature. If printing had not been given 
to the world it would still remain uncivilized. 

It is so many years ago that Gutenberg was bom 
that the date is not exactly known, but it is thought 
to have been in 1400. He was born in Manz, and little 
is known about his childhood. He obtained a good 
education, and being naturally clever and intelligent 
he advanced rapidly, and it was because of his great 
desire to experiment that he became outlawed from 
his home when a young man. In those days people 
were so ignorant that they were afraid when anyone 
discovered something new, and rather than endanger 
198 


JOHANN GUTENBERG 


199 


themselves as they thought, they would punish the 
person who tried doing something. 

Shortly before leaving the town of his birth, Gut¬ 
enberg married a clever young lady, who accompa¬ 
nied him to Strassburg when he was outlawed. He 
had learned to be a lapidary, or a polisher of stones, 
so he took up this trade in the new town. He was a 
good conversationalist and an interesting person, so 
all kinds of people came to his little shop to discuss 
many subjects. His shop was the front room of his 
house. 

One night Gutenberg and his wife, Anna, were 
sitting together talking after the day’s work was 
done, and he happened to notice a playing card lying 
nearby. He picked it up and kept looking at it 
so intensely that his wife asked, “What do you see?” 

“I wonder how the picture was first made on the 
card,” he said, and added, “I think printing is made 
in the same way.” His wife’s face became eager and 
they began discussing printing, and thoughts and 
suggestions kept growing in their brilliant minds. By 
and by in his spare moments Gutenberg fashioned 
blocks of wood with various letters cut on them. He 
cut away the other portions of the wood, leaving only 
the raised letters cut on them, until he had enough to 
spell his wife’s name. Then one night he held each of 
the blocks over the lamp to get the smoke on them 
and pressed them separately on a clean sheet of paper. 
Lifting them he found his wife’s name. 


200 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


“Wonderful!” she cried, “the letters have the very 
likeness of writing!” 

Encouraged by his wife’s praise and interest, Gut¬ 
enberg began studying engraving, but it was diffi¬ 
cult for him to find suitable wood for his work. At 
last he decided that the wood of an apple tree was best 
adapted for his use. But he also lacked tools, and had 
to make these first. Then it took hours of experiment¬ 
ing to find out what kind of ink made the clearest 
impressions, and he decided at last that a mixture of 
oil was best. On the walls of his home hung a picture 
of St. Christopher, and as an experiment he copied 
several pictures, which he sold at once. With this 
money he purchased a book, “History of St. John the 
Evangelist,” and at once began cutting letters to 
copy it. It was not long till he concluded that he must 
have someone to help him, so he hired three appren¬ 
tices. These men were uneducated and careless and 
spoiled many blocks of wood, but finally letters were 
carved to print a book. The impressions were made 
only on one side of the sheet and Anna pasted them 
together, so inside of a week several books had been 
made and bound. Because there were so few people 
at that time able to read, Gutenberg found it hard to 
sell his books, but finally the abbott of the town gave 
him a large order. 

Glad that his efforts were so successful, Guten¬ 
berg began making blocks for the gospel of St. Mat¬ 
thew, and he had the first book almost completed 


JOHANN GUTENBERG 


201 


"when his hand slipped making the block useless. He 
knew it would be a great task to make enough blocks 
to print this gospel and began thinking if there was 
not some easier way to do this work. Taking a fresh 
block, he split it into small strips and engraved a let¬ 
ter on each little piece. After much labor he finished 
several blocks. He called these letters “type,” and 
tied them together with a string spelling the words, 
“A good man” in Latin. This was the beginning of 
the first font of movable type. 

But Gutenberg was not yet satisfied, and still 
studied and experimented, trying to improve his 
invention. He tried fastening the type together with 
strips of linen, and then a new idea came to him: the 
thought of a press to hold the letters firmly together. 
After many experiments he finished a small press 
that seemed to hold the letters, and in the next two 
years he printed a good many books, few of which 
sold. The ink softened the wood of the blocks and 
kept him busy making new letters. One of his ap¬ 
prentices died, and another started a suit against 
Gutenberg. The printing press was in the house of 
the third apprentice and two of his brothers stole part 
of it, making it useless. On every side were spies and 
obstacles, so in despair Gutenberg ordered all the 
type destroyed. But Gutenberg had to earn a living, 
so he opened up his shop again, and bravely tried to 
get some work back again. His mind still kept busy. 


202 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

In a short time Gutenberg was again experi¬ 
menting and he decided to close his shop and go back 
to Manz. After settling in the town his brother went 
with him one day to a goldsmith named Faust, who 
had told Gutenberg how much he had enjoyed read¬ 
ing his book. Faust was very enthusiastic about the 
new books, and offered to help the inventor with 
money, so another partnership was started. New sets 
of type were made, but again the blocks were soft¬ 
ened by the ink. Then from a bit of chain Gutenberg 
tried making metal type. “We will make one type of 
lead,” he explained. “We can cut it and ink will not 
soften it as it does wood.” But they soon found that 
the lead pierced the paper, nevertheless he began 
printing the Bible, using linseed oil and lamp black 
for ink. 

Then Schoeffer, one of Gutenberg’s workers, 
suggested that there must be some better and easier 
way to make type than to cut it, and Gutenberg 
began thinking harder than ever. He started making 
casts of type in plaster molds, and printed the first 
page of the Bible in this way in 1450. The type was 
beautiful and clear and made Gutenberg famous 
everywhere. They called him the “Nazarine.” Five 
years later the first Bible was finished, but Faust 
grew dissatisfied and began a lawsuit against Guten¬ 
berg. Finally the goldsmith took all the presses, 
type, and other material. But Gutenberg’s brother, 
Frieke, came to his aid, and work on other presses 


JOHANN GUTENBERG 


203 


began. For eight years the brave, courageous man 
worked alone, encouraged by his faithful wife, and 
then she died. Discouraged, Gutenberg could no 
longer keep at work, and left Manz to travel. 

Wherever he went Gutenberg was honored as a 
great and wonderful man, and in Nassau he was 
invited to enter the service of a gentleman pensioner. 
He was given a generous salary, so after many bitter 
struggles, hardship and poverty, he lived in peace and 
comfort till his death in 1468. 



Eli Whitney 

No man has more monuments dedicated to his 
honor than has Eli Whitney, for every acre of cotton 
grown in the world is a tribute to this ingenious man. 
Not only did he add to the richness of the inventions 
of this country, when from his fertile mind he derived 
the thought for the cotton gin, but hundreds of thou¬ 
sands of dollars have been added to the world’s 
wealth in consequence. Yet, perhaps of all our great 
men none received less honor in their life than did he. 

Eli Whitney was born December 8, 1765, in a 
small cottage in Westboro, Massachusetts. His child¬ 
hood was as prosaic, simple, and happy as that of 
most children, but he was always thinking of inge¬ 
nious ways to do things. His novel ways of fixing 
things and making toys made him a favorite among 
his schoolmates. 

Perhaps it was because his parents felt that Eli 
possessed some undeveloped talent that they insisted 
he should go to college, after finishing the school 
204 


ELI WHITNEY 


205 


near his home. So the young man went to Yale Col¬ 
lege, graduating from it in 1792. 

In those days everyone who had more than an 
ordinary education became a teacher, and the same 
year of his graduation young Whitney went to 
Georgia to teach. The life in the southern States was 
a great contrast to that of the New England States, 
and the ways some of the labor was performed 
seemed crude to the young man. 

The school where Whitney taught was near the 
banks of the Savannah River, and touched the land 
owned by the widow of Nathaniel Greene. It was not 
long until Mrs. Greene heard that Whitney was an 
adept at making useful devices, so when some of the 
neighbors complained about the uselessness of grow¬ 
ing cotton, because the seeds were so hard to remove, 
she sent for the young teacher. 

She told him that because of the climate and 
land cotton was about the only crop they could raise, 
but could not grow that because it took so long to 
remove the seeds. Whitney went home very thought¬ 
ful, his brain crowded with plans and ideas, but he 
could not try any of them until he made the tools 
with which to work. 

When the tools were finished he worked in his 
spare time for several months on a machine in his 
little room. Toward the close of the year he had his 
simple machine nearly perfected, and had demon¬ 
strated that under the guidance of one man it would 


206 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

clean a thousand pounds of cotton in the same time 
that it required to clean five by hand. 

Eli Whitney had worked secretly on the machine, 
but when he had it nearly completed some lawless 
men broke into his small room and carried it away. 
Before the young man could secure a patent several 
models had been constructed. Throughout his life 
Whitney received little honor for his invention, but 
since his death full credit has always been given him. 
His invention at once made the growing of cotton one 
of the most principle crops in the southern States, 
and in 1880 over 4,000,000 acres were grown in this 
country. 

Disappointed at his misfortune, Whitney left 
Georgia, and with a wealthy man went to Connecti¬ 
cut in 1793 to make cotton gins. The next five years 
were full of disaster, and they lost all the profit they 
made. Some of his rivals, embittered by his inven¬ 
tion, declared the gin tore the cotton, and that a far 
superior one had been invented in Switzerland. Then 
Mr. Miller, his partner, died, and fire destroyed the 
factory. 

In desperation the young man turned to the mak¬ 
ing of firearms. He began a factory at Whitneyville, 
Connecticut, and was the first man to demonstrate 
the success of a division of labor, giving each man a 
part to do in the making of a gun. His fame as a gun 
manufacturer spread, and he soon received all the 
orders he could fill, among them being large orders 


ELI WHITNEY 


207 


from the government for muskets. At last Whitney 
began to prosper and grew rich. So carefully did he 
plan every detail of his armory that it was the model 
on which all the national armories were later con¬ 
structed. 

Eli Whitney died a wealthy and influential man in 
1825. 



Elias Howe 

Because we see a sewing machine in nearly every 
home today, it is nearly inconceivable that there was 
a time when no such instrument was known. Prob¬ 
ably in later years some other clever man would have 
invented a machine that would sew, but it is to the 
ingenuity of Elias Howe that we are indebted for the 
sewing machine. With the passing of years his orig¬ 
inal model has been much improved and changed, but 
many of the plans on which the modern machines are 
built are still the same. 

Elias Howe was born in Spencer, Missouri, the 
ninth of July, 1819, and was a delicate baby. As he 
grew older his health did not improve, which often 
kept him from enjoying himself as other children do. 
His father was a miller, and Elias had several older 
sisters and brothers. When Elias started to walk he 
limped, and all his life he was lame, but his parents 
were poor, so he went to work with his sisters and 
brothers when only six years old. They all worked 
208 


ELIAS HOWE 


209 


in textile factories, helping to make clothing to wear. 
Often the little boy longed to get out-of-doors and be 
able to play and romp about as other children do, but 
he did not dare even to stop work for a moment to 
dream. 

The Howe children had a chance to go to school 
only a few weeks each summer, but Elias was a bright 
boy, and studied eagerly. His health was too poor for 
him ever to hope to be a farmer, yet he was always 
filled with ambitions and glowing dreams. While still 
a child he planned to do wonderful things some day, 
and had strong determinations to accomplish some¬ 
thing worth while. 

When the boy was sixteen years old he concluded 
the work he could find to do in Spencer held no great 
opportunities for advancement, so he decided to go 
to Lowell. Here the cotton mills were beginning to 
make the little town grow into a city, and it was a 
great change to Elias, who found much to interest 
him. He found employment in one of the cotton mills 
and worked in them for two years, but with the panic 
of 1837 the mills were closed, and Elias was out of 
work. 

By this time he had learned a good bit about 
machinery, and had a strong liking for things of a 
mechanical nature, so he went to Cambridge and 
found employment in a machine shop. The work was 
more to his liking, and he never tired of watching the 
machinery in the shops. Before he was twenty-one 


210 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

he married a pretty, practical, sensible, young lady, 
who was a great inspiration and help to him in his 
later life. They soon went to Boston to live, where 
he worked as a mechanic. With the passing of years 
his speculative mind always saw new ways of improv¬ 
ing the machinery in the shops, and he was con¬ 
stantly making suggestions. 

Howe had by this time considerable experience 
with machinery, and had observed many different 
methods of work, often noticing the effort it took for 
the pioneers to do the simplest task. He would come 
home tired in the evenings, after working with and 
watching the machinery all day, to see his patient 
wife sewing far into the night for herself and their 
three children. 

The young man began wondering if there was not 
some way in which sewing could be made easier. He 
took up the idea as a refreshing pastime, and in the 
evenings talked to his wife about it, and together they 
began to plan and make suggestions for a machine. 
He knew that a sewing machine was no new idea, for 
others had talked and studied about it, but had failed 
to overcome the difficulties in making one. Howe’s 
first idea was to make a machine that would imitate 
hand sewing, but that could be used with less time 
and effort. He thought he would try making a 
machine that would thrust a needle through the cloth 
and pull it back again. 


ELIAS HOWE 


211 


Accordingly, he made his first needle sharp at both 
ends, with an eye in the middle. He decided that only 
very coarse thread could be used, as the constant fric¬ 
tion would soon wear the thread through. But a 
year’s hard, patient experimenting convinced him that 
such a machine would be no improvement on hand 
sewing. After deliberating he decided that he must 
make a different needle to make another kind of 
stitch. 

Patiently he tried one method after another, only 
to discard them, and think of new ideas. Finally the 
thought of using two threads came to him, and after 
much thought and labor he made a crude shuttle and 
a curved needle with an eye near the point. He made 
the entire model of wood and wire, completing it in 
October, 1844. 

In eager wonder his wife and children stood about 
while he tested the new machine, and found it would 
work. His pale face flushed with pleasure and excite¬ 
ment, for he knew that at last he had made something 
that would help the world. He decided that the only 
way to advertise his sewing machine would be to give 
all his time to the work, as they had not the means of 
advertising in those days that we have now. It meant 
that he would have to travel around, almost from 
house to house, to introduce his new invention. 

He gave up his position in the shop and took his 
family to his father’s house in Cambridge. His father 
was employed in cutting palm leaf for the manufac- 


212 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

ture of hats, and was still poor. Mr. Howe worked in 
the garret, making the parts needed for a machine, 
and doing odd jobs during the day to support his 
family. It was a hard, discouraging fight, and they 
often suffered, but Howe was convinced that some 
day he would make a fortune from the machine. Then 
his father's shop burnt and the whole family nearly 
starved, and the young inventor knew he could do 
nothing with his machine unless he got money to buy 
steel and iron. Many hours he and his wife sat 
together in despair, hoping and trying to plan some 
way in which to sell the machine. 

When everything seemed hopeless, Mr. Fisher, a 
wood and coal dealer in Cambridge, came to Howe's 
home and asked to see the invention. The inventor 
was delighted to show him the machine, explaining 
how it worked. Mr. Fisher became interested in the 
invention and thought the model had possibilities, 
and before leaving offered to provide board for Howe 
and his family, asking them to live with him, and 
advanced five hundred dollars, for a half interest in 
the patent of the machine. Howe was glad to accept 
the offer, and in December, 1844, went with his family 
to live in the Fisher house. 

All winter he worked steadily, devising new meth¬ 
ods to solve difficult problems, and by April he had a 
machine that would sew a seam four yards long. By 
May it was finished, and after a severe test proved 


ELIAS HOWE 


213 


satisfactory, so in the latter part of the year of 1845 
he took out a patent. 

When Howe tried to introduce the machine he 
met with great difficulty, just as most inventors do. 
Everyone marveled at the machine, admired it, and 
were eager to see it, but no one would buy any. Many 
persons are skeptical about a new thing until its 
worth is proven to them, and on every side he met 
with opposition. The difficulties seemed too great to 
overcome, and Mr. Fisher, not having Howe’s san¬ 
guine hopes, believed the machine would not prove 
worth while, and withdrew from the partnership. 
Howe and his family returned to his father’s house. 

To support himself and family Howe went to 
work as a locomotive engineer. The work was very 
hard and he was compelled to give up his position on 
account of his health. In the idle minutes that fol¬ 
lowed he began to plan new ways to sell his machine, 
for he had never given up hope that ultimately it 
would make him rich and famous. At last he decided 
that America offered him no chance, and asked his 
brother, Amasa, to go to England to see if he could 
not arouse interest there. 

In October, 1846, his brother, with a model, landed 
in London. He showed the invention to William 
Thomas, a prominent London merchant, who seemed 
greatly interested in it, and offered a thousand two 
hundred and fifty dollars for it, and to give the 
inventor employment in his umbrella factory. Elias 


214 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

Howe decided this was better than no work and 
accepted the offer, thinking Thomas would help him 
sell the machine. So he sailed for England and 
entered the factory, but the climate did not improve 
his health, and his employer did not treat him well. 
But he determined to bear it, still thinking Thomas 
would help him try to introduce his machine, and he 
sent for his wife and children. For eight months he 
worked diligently, standing the tyranny of his em¬ 
ployer, but he could bear it no longer and gave up his 
position. For some time he could find no other work, 
and things became worse and worse. At last his home 
folk sent him a little money, with which he bought 
passage for his wife and children back to America. 

Still believing England would offer him a better 
chance to sell his machine, he stayed in London, but 
found no market. After many struggles and hard¬ 
ships he pawned his model, and sold even the pat¬ 
ent papers of his precious invention to obtain money 
enough to pay his way home. 

Each new day seemed to add heavier burdens, and 
he reached New York with only a few dollars, sick 
and discouraged, to find that his wife was critically 
ill at Cambridge. She died soon after he arrived, and 
for a time even his machine held no interest for him. 
All kinds of troubles followed. His invention was 
stolen from him, and still he remained listless. At 
last he threw his grief from him and went to a patent 
attorney and started several suits to protect his pat- 


ELIAS HOWE 


215 


ent. In 1850 he formed a partnership with Mr. Bliss, 
who agreed to try to sell all the machines Howe made, 
and opened a shop in New York. 

Meanwhile Howe’s claims had been established, 
and he was proclaimed the inventor of the sewing 
machine. From the beginning their value had been 
apparent, and with their use folks were no longer 
skeptical, but, as with most inventions, there was still 
much opposition to overcome. Some workers, think¬ 
ing that their labor would be taken from them, 
decided to attack the machines and stirred up a con¬ 
flict. So great was this opposition that many of the 
larger establishments refused to use the machines, 
even though they lightened their work. Again, it 
looked as if the sewing machine would be a complete 
failure, and to make matters even worse Mr. Bliss 
died in 1855. 

In a few years the Civil War broke out, and this 
further injured the sale of the machines. Elias Howe 
was one of the first men in Connecticut to volunteer 
for war service. His delicate health prevented him 
from being kept in the army long. 

In 1867, a model of the sewing machine was shown 
at the Paris Exposition, and it attracted much atten¬ 
tion. Howe was awarded a gold medal and a ribbon 
of the French Legion of Honor, and with the exposi¬ 
tion his royalties from the sale of the machine 
increased. But his health was so bad, and he missed 
his wife so much that he died on the third of October, 
1867. 



‘Richard c/JrRwright 

It is probably not as the founder of our factory 
system, but as the inventor of the spinning jenny that 
Arkwright is best known. All inventors have had 
hard struggles and many obstacles to overcome, but 
few have met with more bitter opposition and preju¬ 
dice than did this dauntless man. 

Richard Arkwright was born in Preston, Lanca¬ 
shire, England, right in the midst of the cotton spin¬ 
ning industry, even though at that time it was done 
in such a crude way. So when Arkwright opened his 
eyes on the twenty-third of December, 1732, he saw 
at once lying on every side, though he did not recog¬ 
nize it, what was to be his life’s problem. He was the 
youngest of thirteen children, and his parents were 
very poor, so he never obtained any real education. 
Although love surrounded him, his childhood con¬ 
tained few pleasures and often his little body yearned 
for more nourishing food. 

216 


RICHARD ARKWRIGHT 


217 


The small boy had no other advantage to educate 
himself than by learning from what he heard, and 
he never lost a chance to take advantage of these 
opportunities. Being naturally an intelligent boy he 
became even more quick witted and clever, and when 
only thirteen years old he became an apprentice to a 
barber. He really became interested in selling dyes 
and hair goods, and after some experimenting discov¬ 
ered a new dye for hair, which helped to build up his 
employer’s business. 

It was not long till the folk of the little town dis¬ 
covered that the barber’s apprentice had an unusual 
keen and ingenious mind. Few of even the older men 
of that time grasped with such keenness the things 
the country was in need of as did Arkwright, and still 
he plodded on day after day helping the barber. Even 
then he must have possessed wonderful patience and 
enduring hope, for he was never heard to complain 
and never seemed dissatisfied. As the years passed 
he worked at various tasks, but always his brain was 
busy with mechanical inventions, and in his spare 
moments he studied machinery, soon becoming a 
skilled mechanic. 

When Arkwright was a young man he traveled 
through the southern part of England, and having 
cultivated his talent for observation noticed many 
things others did not see. He was greatly impressed 
with the labor and the tediousness of making cloth 
with linen warp. No way had been found to spin cot- 


218 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

ton on account of its short fiber. Linen could be spun 
in a very awkward way on a machine made by an 
ingenious weaver. Crude and incomplete as it was it 
could still do the work of many spinners, and Ark¬ 
wright heard much about this machine and was eager 
to examine it, thinking he might be able to improve it. 

After much thinking Arkwright decided at last to 
try what he could do to improve this inefficient spin¬ 
ning jenny, and he employed a clock maker to help 
him. At that time the people were very ignorant and 
many were superstitious, fearing that new inventions 
and improvements would injure them. On every side 
Arkwright met with disapproval and opposition, but 
it was not long till he found his new work far more 
interesting than serving the barber. 

In stature Arkwright was strong and handsome, 
possessing an aggressive, determined nature and 
a shrewd understanding, which fitted him well for an 
inventor of the times. He was dominating enough to 
push a way for himself when he was convinced that 
what he believed was right. Had he been a less deter¬ 
mined man he would never have carried his plans to 
completion. 

One day when Arkwright was experimenting on 
the rude spinning jenny of the weaver he happened 
to watch a red hot iron lengthen out as it passed 
between two rollers. The thought came to him that 
such a contrivance would help to make the short 
fibers of cotton twist together so they could be spun. 


RICHARD ARKWRIGHT 


219 


But in order to complete his plans he needed money 
and other help, and few were willing to help him. He 
appealed to Mr. Atherton, a sensible man whom he 
knew. 

Mr. Atherton fully understood what a dangerous 
thing it would be for Arkwright to try to make such 
a machine, but he also comprehended the advantage 
a good spinning jenny would be, so he sent two of his 
workmen to help the young inventor. 

Arkwright made the machine on the principle of 
a Saxony wheel, with rollers at the top going at dif¬ 
ferent rates, to draw the threads out. At the bottom 
of the machine he placed a spindle with fliers or little 
bobbins for twisting the threads. When the machine 
was completed it was crude and rough, but a great 
improvement on the other model. Arkwright took 
the invention to Preston and set up a spinning frame 
in a room of the grammar school. He was soon con¬ 
vinced that he had created something valuable, even 
though the machine was run by water power. It was 
called by others “Arkwright’s water frame,” which 
delighted the young inventor. 

The young man began to think how he could best 
advertise and promote the sale of his spinning jenny. 
He knew the opposition he would meet would be 
great, for the handworkers in the mills were afraid 
the new machine would rob them of their work. 
Ignorance makes folk fear, and ignorant that there 
were ways in which their work could be improved, 


220 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

without taking away the means of earning their liv¬ 
ing, the people were ready to revolt. At last, after 
carefully studying conditions, Arkwright decided to 
take the jenny to Nottingham, which lay in the heart 
of the stocking trade manufactory. 

Samuel Need, the manager of the factory, became 
greatly interested in the spinning jenny, and tested 
it carefully. He was pleased with it, which was for¬ 
tunate for Arkwright, for this was the beginning of 
his success, and he took out the first patent in 1769. 
A little later with two partners and money furnished 
by Need, Arkwright built a factory at Cromford on 
the Derwent River. The country people around came 
to see his machine and jeered at it, and the largest 
factory at Manchester refused to buy the material he 
wove. One by one other large factories, forced by 
their employes, refused to buy the cotton that Ark¬ 
wright spun, using linen instead. 

But despite these obstacles the first cotton cloth 
was made in 1773, and was the cause of new opposi¬ 
tion springing up, arousing much hatred and rival 
claimants on every side. In 1775, Arkwright took out 
a second patent to more fully protect his machine. 
By this time he had taught men and women how to 
use the jenny, and his business kept growing. But 
years before the indomitable man had been stricken 
by asthma, and it now wrecked his body, but he kept 
on and because of his courage he won. 


RICHARD ARKWRIGHT 


221 


In 1780, Arkwright had a big lawsuit with a rival 
who infringed on his patents, so even after the oppo¬ 
sition of the people had been overcome he had new 
battles to fight. He built another factory in Manches¬ 
ter and prospered even more wonderfully. When 
steam engines were invented his horse and water 
mills were changed to steam. In 1786, he was 
appointed high sheriff to Derbyshire and the same 
year he was knighted by George III. 

But Arkwright was not permitted to live for long 
after pleasure and success came to him. He died at 
Cromford in 1792, and it was not till years after his 
death that the people fully understood the value of 
his invention. 



Theodore Roosevelt was one of the most unique 
and strangest figures in the history of our country. 
He won fame not only as the twenty-sixth president 
of the United States, but also as a clever politician, a 
statesman with a clear vision, a reformer and nat¬ 
uralist, and as a hunter and sportsman. Had he done 
nothing else but write the books that he did, he would 
still have been well known and greatly admired by 
future generations. 

Roosevelt was a descendant of an aristocratic, 
wealthy Dutch family. He was born on October 27, 
1858, and from the very first was an active, bright, 
interesting little chap, whom everyone nicknamed, 
“Teddy.” His father was a successful business man, 
engaged in various philanthropic enterprises, and his 
Uncle Robert was an active politician. His great 
grandfather was the first governor of Georgia, after 
the Declaration of Independence was signed, so it 
222 


THEODORE ROOSEVELT 


223 


was but natural that the boy should be interested in 
politics, for what is born in the blood comes out in 
the life. 

While a boy Roosevelt suffered from ill health, 
and was a delicate-looking lad, but out door life and 
exercise made him grow into a rugged, robust man. 
He was just an ordinary scholar, and after finishing 
common school entered Harvard in 1876. Here he 
made many friends and was especially interested in 
natural history, graduating in 1880. After his gradua¬ 
tion he went to Europe for a short trip. Like every 
one who sees the Old World for the first time he was 
greatly impressed with what he saw. 

On his return Mr. Roosevelt began the study of 
law at Columbia University, later going into his 
uncle’s office. He had no serious intention of becom¬ 
ing a lawyer, preferring to become a professor of 
natural history. During this time he wrote a book, 
entitled “The Naval History of 1812.” 

In 1880 he was married to Miss Alice Lee, a beau¬ 
tiful Southern girl. In 1881, much to the amusement 
of his friends, Roosevelt entered politics and was 
elected to the New York assembly, being the young¬ 
est man in the legislature. Subsequently he was 
elected three times. These terms in office helped him 
to lay a good foundation of knowledge concerning 
State craft and its responsibility. 


224 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


In February 1884, his mother died, and two days 
later his young wife, leaving him a daughter, Alice, 
who afterwards married Mr. Longworth. These sor¬ 
rows, with some political defeats, determined Roose¬ 
velt to go west, as he had long yearned to do. He 
went to North Dakota and bought a ranch, which he 
named the Elkhorn, on the little Missouri river. 
Here he spent the winters of 1884-85 and the next, 
going to New York on his vacations. He enjoyed the 
wild, free life, and was ever afterward an advocate of 
“the strenuous life.” But much as he loved this west¬ 
ern life his active career as a rancher ended in 1886, 
when the Republicans nominated him mayor of New 
York. In December of the same year he married Miss 
Edith Kermit Carew, a childhood friend, and they 
spent their honeymoon in Europe. 

In April, 1887, he was appointed Assistant Secre¬ 
tary of the Navy, and his family went to Washington 
to live. With keen insight Roosevelt foresaw the 
Spanish American war, and began getting the navy 
ready to meet it. His first move was to raise cavalry, 
and he gathered together a motley group of men, 
mostly western, and gave them the nickname of the 
“Rough Riders.” At the outbreak of the war Roose¬ 
velt was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the Rough 
Riders, later being made colonel, and he was in com¬ 
mand of them when they made their famous charge 


THEODORE ROOSEVELT 225 

on San Juan Hill. After that the young colonel was a 
popular hero. 

On his return to the United States Roosevelt was 
elected governor of New York, making a remarkable 
record, but some of the politicians wanted him 
removed, so urged him to accept the nomination of 
vice-president. He was chosen vice-president and 
six months later, through the tragic death of William 
McKinley, became president. He was only forty- 
three years old, and the youngest man ever to hold 
this office. He had six lively children, and during his 
presidency, the White House was always filled with 
merriment. 

In 1904 Roosevelt was elected president, and his 
administration was full of prosperity and good will. 
Full of life and vigor he retired in 1909, and was as 
much a public figure in private life as he had been as 
president. Shortly after leaving office he and several 
others, including his son, Kermit, sailed for Africa. 
On his return in 1910 he wrote a book, “African Game 
Trails,” and became a leading contributor to various 
magazines. 

He made another trip to the interior of Brazil, dis¬ 
covering an unchartered river, which was named in 
his honor the Rio Teodoro. Despite his busy, active 
life, Roosevelt wrote twenty-five books, all of which 
rank high in literature. “America and the World 
War,” was his last book. His youngest son lost his 
life in the World War. 


226 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


It seems but a short time ago that the busy, pop¬ 
ular man left this world, for his memory is still keenly 
alive. He died at Oyster Bay, New York, where he 
had kept a private home for many years, on January 
6, 1919. His wife, two daughters and three sons 
survive him. 



Jefferson ‘Davis 

Jefferson Davis first opened his eyes on the third 
of June, 1808, being the youngest of ten children, of 
which five were boys. All grew to maturity, except 
one girl. It was in a small farmhouse, in what is now 
known as Todd County in Kentucky, that the boy was 
bom. His father, Sam Davis, was a veteran of the 
Revolutionary War and of Welch descent. He raised 
tobacco and horses on his small farm. Mrs. Davis 
was of Scotch descent and noted for her intelligence, 
beauty and sprightliness. In 1809 the family went to 
Bayou Teche Parish, Louisiana, but the climate did 
not agree with them so in a short time they removed 
to Woodville, Mississippi. 

As soon as Jefferson was old enough to attend 
school he was sent to a little log cabin near his home, 
to which he went until he was seven years old. Then 
he was sent on horseback, in the company of friends, 
to a Dominican school known as St. Thomas, which 
227 


228 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

he attended for two years. On his return home he was 
sent to Jefferson College, a school in Mississippi, but 
his stay there was very brief. From his tenth to his 
thirteenth year he attended an academy near home, 
and in 1821 he entered the Transylvania University 
in Lexington, Kentucky. 

Through the aid of his eldest brother, Joseph, in 
his sixteenth year Jefferson received an appointment 
to a cadetship in the United States Military Academy 
at West Point. The mental and social training the 
boy received here did much to develop his disposition 
which resulted in his illustrious and remarkable 
career. Here also he gained the habit of wide and 
extensive reading, which in after years resulted in 
making him one of the best educated men in Amer¬ 
ica. In July, 1828, Davis graduated from the acad¬ 
emy with the usual brevet of second lieutenant of 
infantry. He went on a furlough to visit his folks, and 
in the autumn he reported for duty at Jefferson Bar¬ 
racks, Missouri, where he remained for a short time, 
and was then ordered to Fort Crawford. 

From 1829 until 1831 Davis remained in Fort 
Winnebago, but the latter part of the year he was 
sent to the upper waters of the Yellow River on a 
lumbering expedition to get material for works at 
Fort Crawford. At this time it is said that Jefferson 
looked about like a boy of nineteen, and his gay laugh 
charmed and attracted everybody, but the Indians in 
that region recognized his courage and soldierly 


JEFFERSON DAVIS 


229 


ways, and one of the chief’s adopted him as “brother.” 
After that the tribes called him “Little Chief,” a name 
of which he was very proud. 

Through the rigors of the winter and hardships 
Davis became sick with pneumonia, and for several 
months lay in an old house, far from any friend. But 
with the indomitable will and invincible courage that 
helped him so much in his after life the young man 
never gave up, and succeeded in returning to Fort 
Crawford. Colonel Zachary Taylor had succeeded to 
the command at this fort, during Davis absence, and 
upon the young man’s return sent him to investigate 
the lead mine at Galena, Illinois, and to arrange local 
troubles with the Indians there. Davis succeeded in 
arranging terms of peace and later captured Black 
Hawk, the famous Indian chief, and two of his sons, 
who were sent down the river to Jefferson Barracks 
in Davis’ charge. 

At the close of the Black Hawk War Davis was 
again sent on a tour of inspection to the lead mines 
at Galena. In the autumn of 1832 he was ordered to 
Louisville and Lexington on recruiting service. It 
was during this time that he was often confronted 
with the slavery question, and being a deep thinker 
gave the subject much consideration. On his return 
from Kentucky Davis went to Fort Crawford, where 
he remained till 1834, when he was ordered to Fort 
Gibson, on the extreme frontier. For his good services 


230 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

General Taylor prompted him to the first infantry of 
Dragoons. 

Because of impaired health Davis resigned from 
the army in 1835, and a short time later married Sarah 
Knox, the second daughter of Zachary Taylor. His 
brother Joseph gave him a tract of land known as 
Briarfield, adjoining his farm in Mississippi. Joseph 
also let Jefferson have fourteen slaves on credit, so 
Davis settled down as a cotton planter. Here the 
newly wedded couple stayed till the fever season, 
when they went on a visit to Davis’ sister in Louisi¬ 
ana, but their stay had already proved fatal and Mrs. 
Davis died, and Jefferson barely escaped himself. In 
the fall Davis sailed for Havana, and in 1836 he 
returned to his plantation, where he spent most of 
the following eight years in seclusion, reading, study¬ 
ing and working out some of his new ideas. During 
that time he and his elder brother gave much thought 
to the problems of the two races, and to slavery as 
a social and economical factor. “The less people are 
governed, the more submissive they will be to be con¬ 
trolled,” said Davis, and he and his brother had a 
remarkable way to manage the slaves on their farms. 

In 1843 Jefferson Davis first entered the field of 
politics, and in 1844 was an aspirant for the presi¬ 
dency on the Polk and Dallas ticket. The same year he 
was married again to Varina, a daughter of William 
B. Howell, and a granddaughter of the gifted gov¬ 
ernor of New Jersey. In 1845 Davis was elected as a 


JEFFERSON DAVIS 


231 


representative at large from Mississippi. It was dur¬ 
ing this time that he was still in the House that the 
regiment of volunteers required from Mississippi was 
made up, and of which he was chosen colonel. Davis 
pleaded to stay at Washington to vote on certain bills 
about to be passed so did not join them till they 
reached New Orleans. 

Shortly after Davis joined his command they 
took part in the storming of Monterey. Three 
commissioners were to be arranged for to transact 
some important business, and Davis was one of the 
men chosen for this purpose. Later Davis dis¬ 
tinguished himself in the Battle of Buena Vista, and 
early in the action he was severly wounded by a mus¬ 
ket ball in his ankle, but he fought all day long. For 
two years afterwards he went on crutches, and suf¬ 
fered from the wound for over five years. Early the 
following summer Davis and the regiment returned 
to Mississippi, and was everywhere greeted with 
enthusiasm. A commission from President Polk as 
brigadier-general in the army awaited Davis, but he 
declined this honor. 

In 1847 still another appointment came to Davis, 
for the governor wished him to succeed the senator 
who had died. Davis’ military reputation gave him 
the place of chairmanship of the committee of mili¬ 
tary affairs, and he was also appointed one of the 
regents of the Smithsonian Institute. Davis was 
reelected for the full term as senator from 1851 to 


232 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

1857, and after the death of Calhoun was recognized 
as the foremost leader of the State Right’s democracy. 
In the latter part of 1851, because of severe trouble 
with his eyes, and also to become candidate for gov¬ 
ernorship of Mississippi, Davis resigned as senator. 
He was defeated and went to live at Briarfield. 

In 1853 Franklin Pierce appointed Davis as Sec¬ 
retary of War, which place he filled ably and with 
distinction the next four years. On the fourth of 
March, 1857, Davis was reelected to the Senate, but 
became seriously ill the following winter, and for two 
months lay in a darkened room. The doctor advised 
him to go to the coast of Maine, so with his wife he 
spent most of his time there for the next two or three 
years. With the election of Abraham Lincoln to the 
Presidency the anti-slavery cause reached an issue, 
and with the secession of Mississippi Davis resigned 
from the Senate. 

Shortly after his return to Mississippi Davis was 
elected provisional President of the Confederate 
States, and on January the twenty-first, 1861, he 
was elected permanent president. Davis took the oath 
of office in front of the Crawford Statue of Washing¬ 
ton in the Capitol Square of Richmond. He concluded 
his inaugurational prayer with these words: “My 
hope is reverently fixed on Him whose favor is ever 
vouchsafed to the cause which is just. With humble 
gratitude and adoration, acknowledging the Provi¬ 
dence which has so visibly protected the Confederacy 


JEFFERSON DAVIS 


233 


during its brief but eventful career, to Thee, O God, I 
trustingly commit myself, and prayerfully invoke 
Thy blessings on my country and its cause.” 

After the inauguration of Davis events moved in 
great rapidity, ever sweeping onward to the great 
crisis which so many brave and courageous men tried 
to prevent. Through all these crises the great patience 
and courage of Davis bore him, and his cheerful opti¬ 
mism was always a proof against despondency. With 
the firing at Fort Donelson Davis knew the time had 
come to act, for previous to that many of the South¬ 
ern newspapers had been bitter against him for his 
“ill-timed tenderness,” as they called his patience 
Over and over during those trying days his wife 
wrote that he repeated the words, “How firm a 
foundation, ye Saints of the Lord.” His wife also said 
that at this time this wonderful man “had a child like 
faith in the providential care of the just cause by 
almighty God, and a doubt of its righteousness never 
entered his mind.” 

As if fate wished even to try Davis' faith more on 
the twentieth of April, 1864, his most beautiful and 
brightest child fell on a brick walk, and died a short 
time later. Upon the surrender of General Lee, Davis 
was at once notified that he might escape. With some 
fast cavalry the great man started southward, and 
even then he said, “I cannot feel like a beaten man.” 
His wife and children had been sent ahead, and when 
he heard that Lincoln had been shot he mourned his 


234 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

death as few other men did. When urged to hasten in 
his escape Davis replied, “I shall not leave Confed¬ 
erate soil, while a Confederate regiment is on it,” but 
at the time he did not know that a prize of one hun¬ 
dred thousand dollars had been offered by the new 
President of the United States for his capture. At 
first it was thought by some that he was implicated 
in the murder of President Lincoln, and it was 
because of Davis* love and anxiety for his wife and 
children that he was captured. 

Davis was soon captured and made a prisoner, 
and for a time was confined in Fortress Monroe. 
During these long and dreadful days he studied his 
prayer book, the Bible and the Imitation of Christ. 
Several trials were brought against him, and one by 
one dropped, but for two years he stayed in jail, un¬ 
able to get bonds. In 1867, through the aid of Horace 
Greely, and other prominent men, Davis was given a 
bond, and in February, 1869, was given full liberty. 
Upon his release from prison in May, 1867, he joined 
his wife and children in Canada, and in order to 
restore his health sailed soon afterward to Havana. 
Unfortunately, his stay there was but a week and 
with his family he went to New Orleans where he was 
met with eager welcome. Here he met with a severe 
accident and was advised to go abroad. Upon his 
return he was offered the place as president of a life 
insurance company, and needing some way in which 
to support himself and family he accepted the place. 


JEFFERSON DAVIS 


235 


About this time his brother Joseph, to whom he had 
been deeply attached, died, and also his own little son, 
William. He had three children left. 

Davis’ health grew worse and he was ordered 
again to England. He stayed abroad for a few months 
and returned to live at “Blauvoir,” an estate halfway 
between Mobile and New Orleans, where he finished 
his book, “The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Gov¬ 
ernment.” In this book he gave his views of the great 
controversy, but before it was finished his only 
remaining son died of the yellow fever. Soon after 
the book was completed Davis and his wife went to 
Europe to meet their daughter, who was in school 
there. They remained in that country for three 
months and on their return to this country went for a 
visit to their old home, Briarfield. 

Davis’ book was published in 1881, and the rest of 
his life was very quiet. He died in New Orleans on the 
sixth of December, 1889, and in 1893 his body was 
removed for burial to Richmond, Virginia. 



James Monroe 

As the author of the Monroe Doctrine, James 
Monroe, our fifth President, is famous. The peaceful¬ 
ness and the spirit of content of his administration is 
summed up in the words the “era of good feeling.” 

James Monroe was born on the twenty-eighth of 
April, 1758, on his father’s fine estate on Monroe 
creek, a stream that empties into the famous Potomac 
river. His boyhood was like the childhood of every 
common boy. After finishing his education in the dis¬ 
trict schools he entered Williams and Mary College. 
But he hardly had begun on his college life when the 
Revolutionary War broke out, and he went to New 
York to join Washington’s army. 

Monroe soon won a cadetship and took part in the 
battles of Harlem Heights, White Plains, and Tren¬ 
ton, being wounded at the latter place. A ball hit him 
in the shoulder, and for his courageous bravery 
Washington made him captain, and he later served 
as aide-de-camp on the staff of Lord Sterling. He was 
236 


JAMES MONROE 


237 


promoted to major, and in this capacity fought at the 
battles of Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth. 
He spent the freezing winter with Washington at 
Valley Forge, and in 1778 he was given the rank of 
lieutenant-colonel. So well did the commanders think 
of the young man that he was sent to Virginia to raise 
a new regiment. In Virginia he became acquainted 
with Thomas Jefferson, who was then governor of 
Virginia, and his influence left a lasting impression 
on Monroe, and probably helped much in forming his 
career. 

At the close of the Revolutionary War Monroe’s 
mind reverted to his books, and on his return to Vir¬ 
ginia he began the study of law under Thomas Jeffer¬ 
son. In 1782, he was given a seat in the Virginia 
Assembly, and the next year transferred to the Con¬ 
tinental Congress in which he served as delegate for 
three years. He was always fearful that the United 
States would become a monarchy, and through his 
entire life fought bitterly any such tendency. At the 
close of his third term in the Continental Congress 
he determined to retire and practice law, but was not 
permitted to do so, for he was promptly reelected, 
and he served four more years. 

Monroe married Miss Elizabeth Kortright in 1786. 
Four years later he was chosen to fill a vacant place 
in the United States Senate. In 1794 he was appointed 
Minister to France, and was in that country during 
the terrible French Revolution. It was the most try- 


238 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


ing period of his life. He endeavored to fill the place, 
but for some reason he did not satisfy the President 
and in 1796 he was recalled. Again he determined to 
settle down to private life and stay out of politics. 
But he was permitted to do so for only three years. 
The country had need of his great ability and his 
purity of vision. 

In 1799 Monroe was elected governor of Virginia, 
and served till 1802, the year that Jefferson became 
President. Jefferson appointed him Minister to 
France. He was also on the Commission to assist in 
the purchase of the mouth of the Mississippi river, 
which resulted in the addition of the Louisiana Terri¬ 
tory to the United States. Later he was sent as Min¬ 
ister to England, and then as Minister to Spain. The 
treaty which he finally arranged with Great Britain 
was unsatisfactory to the President, and it was never 
given to the Senate. Monroe worked under great 
handicaps. At Madrid he tried hard to arrange for the 
transfer of Florida to the United States, but was 
unsuccessful. He returned home in 1807, and was 
again elected to the Virginia Assembly. In 1811 he 
was reelected governor of Virginia. Before the end 
of the year he resigned to become Secretary of State, 
which place he held till his election to the presidency 
in 1817. During the War of 1812 he performed many 
valuable services which greatly added to his popu¬ 
larity. He did much toward helping to protect the 
capitol from an attack by the British. 


JAMES MONROE 


239 


Monroe’s administration was one of the quietest 
in politics that has ever been known in this country. 
Soon after he became President he made a great tour 
of the country in a stage coach, going as far as 
Detroit, which was a long journey in those days. In 
1820 he was reelected President without opposition. 
It was in December, 1823, that the famous Monroe 
Doctrine was introduced, and proved to the world 
that the President fully believed that America was 
for Americans. 

Among other notable events of Monroe’s admin¬ 
istration was the war with the Seminole Indians in 
Florida, the purchase of Florida, and the Missouri 
Compromise. 

At the end of his administration Monroe returned 
to Virginia to his home which had been planned by 
Jefferson, who also gave the nails to finish it. It was 
a large brick mansion with great columns and wide 
porticos in the midst of a grove of fine oaks. 

With Jefferson and Madison, Monroe served as 
regent of the University of Virginia in 1826. In 1829 
he was a member of the War Constitutional 
convention. 

Upon the death of his wife in 1830, Monroe went 
to live with one of his daughters in New York, where 
he died on the Fourth of July, 1831. He was buried 
in Hollywood Cemetery at Richmond, Virginia. 



oAdams 

“This is the end of earth; I am content.” These 
were the last words of John Quincy Adams, our sixth 
President. They are characteristic of the man. It is 
not as President, but as a diplomat that Adams is 
best known. 

No American family has contained more distin¬ 
guished members than did the Adams family. Of no 
other President can it be said that the years he served 
in the White House were the least interesting of their 
lives, but it was so with Adams. 

John Quincy Adams was born the eleventh of 
July, 1767, in Braintree, Massachusetts, and was the 
eldest son in the family. When he was baptized, his 
mother’s great-grandfather, John Quincy, lay dying, 
so the baby was given his surname. The boy grew 
into a grave, thoughtful lad, fearless and honest. Few 
of our Presidents have had a more adventurous boy¬ 
hood. When he was ten years old his father was sent 
by the Government to France, and he took his son 
240 



JOHN QUINCY ADAMS 241 

along with him. The voyage was long and stormy, 
and their ship was chased by a British war vessel; 
they also had a desperate fight with a privateer, but 
at last reached Paris. There the boy was sent to 
school, and began studying French. Eighteen months 
later they returned to America, and John had been 
such a good French student that he was able to give 
the English ambassador, who was aboard the same 
ship, lessons in French. 

Three months after their return to their home in 
Massachusetts, Mr. Adams was again sent to France, 
and he again took his son along with him. This time 
they travelled more, going from Paris to Holland. 
They met many distinguished people. John Quincy 
Adams was a very intelligent lad, and by the time he 
was fourteen years old he was in public service him¬ 
self. The United States envoy to Russia employed 
him as private secretary, and the boy did the work 
as well as a skilled person could do. He stayed in 
Russia over a year, traveling alone through Sweden 
and Denmark, later attending school at the Hague. 

John was only sixteen years old when the Revolu¬ 
tionary War closed. His father, Benjamin Franklin, 
and Thomas Jefferson were chosen to make a treaty 
with Great Britain, and John Quincy was chosen as 
one of their secretaries. In 1785, Mr. Adams was 
appointed minister to England, and he took his family 
to London to live, giving his eldest son the choice of 


242 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


going to college in England or returning to the 
United States. The boy chose to go to Harvard Col¬ 
lege, and graduated from that institution with honor 
in 1787. He then began studying law, and was a law¬ 
yer before he was twenty-three years old. At that 
time he first became known as the “Walking Vocab¬ 
ulary,” because of his eloquence in the choice of 
words, and this was a favorite nickname for him for 
many years. 

In the latter part of 1795, John Quincy Adams 
went to England, where he met Miss Louisa C. John¬ 
son, daughter of the American consul at London, and 
they were married two years later. President Wash¬ 
ington then appointed him minister to Portugal, but 
before he sailed for this place, changed the appoint¬ 
ment to Prussia. When Washington’s term expired, 
his father became President, but let his son remain 
abroad till nearly the close of his administration. 
Then he was called home, and resumed his law 
practice. 

John Quincy Adams’ political career began in 
1802, when he was elected to the Massachusetts sen¬ 
ate, and the next year he was sent to the United 
States Senate, where he presented the petition for the 
abolition of slavery. In 1808 he resigned from the 
Senate because of trouble over the Embargo Act. 

When James Madison became President, he 
appointed John Q. Adams minister to Russia, and he 


JOHN QUINCY ADAMS 


243 


spent four and a half years in St. Petersburg, now 
Leningrad. During his stay there, America passed 
through a stormy time, having war with England, 
and his task as a diplomat was a hard one. When the 
treaty of peace was signed, in 1814, he was one of the 
men chosen to make it, shortly afterward receiving 
the highest diplomatic honors America could give. 
He was appointed minister to England, which office 
he held till 1817, when he was made Secretary of State 
by James Monroe. 

When James Monroe’s administration ended, the 
famous diplomatist found that, because no candidate 
had a majority of votes, the House of Representatives 
had chosen him to be President. The four years of his 
presidency were filled with bitter opposition, and 
were the least glorious and probably least worth 
while of Adam’s entire life. In 1830, after his term 
as President ended, he was elected to the House of 
Representatives, being the only person who ever 
returned to Congress after serving as the Nation’s 
chief. He remained in the House until his death, and 
became known as “Old Man Eloquent,” because of 
his fluency in speaking. In appearance he was short 
and stout, with a bald head, but his voice was strong 
and he knew how to present an argument to make it 
convincing and forcible. 

In 1846, Adams suffered a stroke of paralysis, but 
recovered and was not troubled again until February 


344 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

21,1848. He was sitting in his seat at Congress, hold¬ 
ing a paper in his hand. When he arose to address 
the Speaker, he fell to the floor, insensible. A para¬ 
lytic stroke had seized him, but in a moment he 
regained his consciousness and spoke the words by 
which he is best remembered, “This is the e n d of 
earth; I am content.” He died two days later, and 
was buried in the church portal at Quincy, Massa¬ 
chusetts, his home, beside his father and mother. 


Benjamin Harrison 

At the mention of Benjamin Harrison’s name we 
immediately think of his famous grandfather, Wil¬ 
liam Henry Harrison, “The Hero of Tippecanoe.” 
Although the grandson did not become such a 
national hero he still did much for his Government 
and country. 

Benjamin Harrison was born in North Bend, 
Ohio, on the twentieth of August, 1833, just seven 
years before his famous grandfather became Presi¬ 
dent. The son of the “Hero of Tippecanoe” and the 
father of Benjamin was a very ordinary man without 
any unusual talent, and he was very little in political 
life. He served as a Representative in Congress from 
1853 to 1857, and spent the rest of his life on his 
farm with his family. Benjamin was an active, bright 
child, although always rather small in size. He soon 
learned that it was only through work he could ever 
hope to get anywhere. Unlike John Quincy Adams 
245 


246 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

he had few advantages, and most of what he accom¬ 
plished was done notwithstanding many obstacles. 
When he grew a little older he was sent to the district 
school where he sat all day long on hard planks, with¬ 
out a back, and his feet dangling far from the floor. 
But Benjamin liked to study and so was glad to go, 
even if it did make him tired. He regretted that he 
had to stay home in summer and work. 

By his industry and ability the boy soon learned 
all he could in this school, and through his own efforts 
was sent to Farmer’s College near Cincinnati. Here 
he worked harder than ever, marvelling at the wealth 
of knowledge to be found in books, and determined 
to take advantage of every opportunity offered him. 
Two years later, after finishing at the college young 
Harrison started to Miami University at Oxford, 
graduating from there when he was eighteen years 
old. He was still only a boy but he knew that his 
school life was about finished, and he must begin to 
support himself. After great deliberation he decided 
that he would be a lawyer, probably dreaming of some 
day following part of the life of his grandfather. 

He entered a law office in Cincinnati, determined 
to succeed, and before completing his course he mar¬ 
ried Miss Caroline W. Scott, whom he had met while 
attending school. He soon finished his law studies 
and decided to go to Indianapolis, believing that he 
would have greater opportunities for success in the 
newly settled country than in Ohio. The clerk of the 


BENJAMIN HARRISON 


247 


Federal Court was the only acquaintance he had in 
the fastly growing city in the wilderness. Undaunted 
and undiscouraged Harrison hung out his lawyer’s 
sign, and while waiting for clients had a difficult time 
to make a living, or even find a place to stay. He had 
only a hundred dollars and he could not rent a house 
and furnish it with that, so he and his young wife 
often slept in his little office. He was offered a job 
as court crier at two and a half dollars a day, which 
he eagerly accepted. When at last his first client came 
he worked long and hard on the case, making many 
notes. When the day of the trial came the court room 
was so dark he could not read the notes, so pushing 
them back into his pocket he pleaded the case from 
memory. So well did he do that he not only won the 
case, but also the name of a great orator, which 
afterward gave him the nickname of the “Orator 
President.” 

After the court incident the young lawyer’s prac¬ 
tice grew rapidly, and at the outbreak of the Civil 
war he was very busy. But the blood that had made 
his grandfather a hero would not let the young man 
remain out of the struggle, and in 1862 he decided 
to help the Union. A new regiment was forming and 
he set out to recruit and drill the company of soldiers, 
other companies joined and it became known as the 
Seventeenth Indiana Volunteers. Harrison was lieu¬ 
tenant of the company, but was made colonel of the 


248 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

new regiment. It was not long before the company 
was called into action and Harrison commanded it 
at Kenesaw mountain and at Nashville, but it was 
at the battle of Peach Tree Creek that he won his 
greatest honor. 

“Come on, boys! We’ve never been licked yet, and 
we won’t begin now!” yelled Harrison to his men, 
when so discouraged and almost worn out that they 
were about to retreat from Peach Tree Creek. With 
his courageous words sounding in the ears of his men 
they won. He was always kind and tender to his men, 
always thought of their welfare and they affection¬ 
ately called him “Little Ben.” He was also one of 
the leaders in Sherman’s famous march from “Atlanta 
to the Sea.” 

When Harrison finished his work as a soldier he 
returned to his law practice at Indianapolis, and was 
soon chosen reporter of the Indiana Supreme Court, 
and then entered politics deeply. He worked hard 
for the election of Grant. In 1876, his friends persuaded 
him to run for governor of Indiana, which he con¬ 
sented to do. But he lost the election. By this time 
he had become a very prominent man, and if not a 
national hero as was his grandfather, he was quite 
well known. In 1880 he was nominated as a presiden¬ 
tial aspirant, but would not give his consent to the 
election and did his best to have Garfield elected. 


BENJAMIN HARRISON 


249 


As soon as Garfield became President he asked 
Harrison to be a member of his cabinet, but the ora¬ 
tor-lawyer refused for he had been chosen as Senator 
for Indiana to the United States Government. In the 
Senate he acted as chairman of the Committee of Ter¬ 
ritories, and as a member of several other important 
committees. 

In 1888 Harrison was again nominated for the 
presidency, and was elected. As President, Harrison 
was very quiet and retiring, and those who were not 
his friends said of him that he was “so cold that grass 
would not grow on the White House lawns.” During 
the years of his presidency the country was generally 
prosperous and active, and a great development in 
foreign relations occurred. Six new States were 
admitted to the Union, and one April noon in 1889 at 
the sound of a bugle the grounds of Oklahoma were 
thrown open to settlers. The only great catastrophe 
that happened during the years of Harrison’s presi¬ 
dency was the Johnstown flood in western Pennsyl¬ 
vania which occurred on the thirty-first of May, 1889. 

Harrison was again nominated as presidential 
aspirant in 1889, but lost, and the next year returned 
to his law practice in Indianapolis. He was soon 
appointed as lecturer of law for the Leland Stanford 
University of California; he was also chosen as Coun¬ 
sel for Venezuela in laying before the Hague Confer¬ 
ence the arbitration commission which settled the 
boundary dispute between that country and Great 


250 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


Britain in 1889; and he was the principal representa¬ 
tive of the United States in the Hague Conference at 
the same time. During those years he wrote a book, 
“This Country of Ours,” giving the practical working 
basis of the Government, and he was also a frequent 
contributor to magazines. 

After a very brief illness Harrison died on the 
thirty-first of March, 1901, and was buried in Indian¬ 
apolis. 



o/lndrewJohnson 


None of our Presidents have had a more stormy 
career, nor a less attractive and joyless childhood 
than did Andrew Johnson, our seventeenth President. 
It is said that he had many faults, that he was tact¬ 
less and on the least provocation used extreme lan¬ 
guage. But his life proves that he was a man of 
kindly nature and extraordinary ability. 

Andrew Johnson was born on the twenty-ninth 
day of September, 1808, in Raleigh, North Carolina. 
His parents were practically penniless, and the boy 
did not even have the few advantages that Lincoln 
had. When Andrew was but four years old his father 
was drowned when trying to rescue a man who fell 
overboard. The family then became poorer than ever, 
and the mother had a hard time to feed and clothe the 
family. Andrew was never sent to school, and 
because he had to work so hard as soon as he could do 
anything he never enjoyed games and sports as did 
251 


252 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

other children. When he was ten years old he was 
bound out to a tailor’s apprentice. For six years John¬ 
son worked for the tailor, and learned to be a very 
good one. But his young heart hungered bitterly all 
the while for the things which other boys enjoyed. 
He brought the money he earned home to his mother, 
thus helping her to care for the home. 

When Johnson was sixteen years old he set up a 
place for himself as a journeyman tailor at Laurens 
Court House, South Carolina. Two years later his 
mother removed to the Greeneville mountains and 
Johnson went with her. It was here he met Miss 
Eliza McCardle, a very attractive and refined girl of 
good education. She saw many good qualities in the 
young man, and they were married on the twenty- 
seventh of May, 1826, and although Johnson was very 
young, it was the most helpful advantage he ever had 
had in his life. From a tailor Johnson had learned the 
alphabet, but had not progressed very far with his 
education. His wife being so much his intellectual 
superior was very eager to have her husband get at 
least the rudiments of an education, and she began 
teaching him. From that time his path was ever in 
an upward direction, and the old hunger in his heart 
began to stir again. He soon learned to read and 
write, and often while he was at work at his tailor 
trade his wife read to him, and being very bright he 
soon obtained a fairly good education. Mrs. Johnson 
was very ambitious and energetic, and Johnson soon 


ANDREW JOHNSON 


253 


became endowed with her glowing spirit. He deter¬ 
mined to do something worth while in life. 

At that time Tennessee was ruled by the great 
land owners, and often their laws were very unjust, 
especially to the poor. When he was twenty years old 
Johnson organized a workingman’s party in opposi¬ 
tion to the “Aristocratic Coterie,” as the rich men 
were called, of which he was elected alderman. He 
was twice elected to fill this office, and was once 
elected mayor. In the meantime, encouraged by his 
own success and the interest of his wife, he had kept 
up his studies and had taken frequent parts with 
the debating students at Greeneville College. In 1835 
Johnson proposed himself as an aspirant of the Dem¬ 
ocratic party for a State representative. He was 
elected and strongly opposed a bill for internal im¬ 
provements, which made him unpopular and caused 
him to lose the place in 1837. The reaction and wild 
panic that followed justified his actions, and in 1839 
he was reelected to the legislature. In 1840 he did all 
in his power to help Van Buren get elected President. 

The following year the ambitious young man was 
elected State senator, and in 1843 he was sent to the 
United States House of Representatives, where he 
served for ten years. He was a conspicuous supporter 
of the Polk administration, and approved the famous 
Compromise of 1850. In 1853 Johnson was appointed 
Governor of Tennessee. An interesting story is told 
of how he made a suit of clothes at this time and sent 


254 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

it to his old friend, the Governor of Kentucky. The 
Governor of Kentucky had been a blacksmith and in 
return sent him a piece of his own work. 

In 1857 Andrew Johnson was elected United 
States Senator, and in the Senate he was nearly alone 
in his rather peculiar views on many matters then in 
discussion. He was the only southern member in 
Congress not to secede from it when the State did. 
He declared that he “would have them arrested and 
tried for treason, and if convicted, by the eternal God, 
they should suffer the penalty of the law at the hands 
of the executioner.” This made the country believe 
that he was very bitter toward the slave States, but 
his acts later proved that he was not. 

On the fourth of March, 1862, President Lincoln 
appointed Johnson as military governor of Tennes¬ 
see, a position that was full of great difficulties. His 
work here made him a national figure, and he was 
considered one of the most popular of the war Demo¬ 
crats. In 1864 his name was proposed for the vice¬ 
presidency, and he won the election. Six weeks later, 
on the fifteenth of April, Lincoln died and Johnson 
became President. 

There were many questions on which Congress 
and the President did not agree, but the first open 
break between them did not happen till February, 
1866. Johnson vetoed the bill to establish a Freed¬ 
man’s Bureau for the protection of former slaves. 
Then the Senate formed into a great court, a thing 


ANDREW JOHNSON 


255 


they had never done before, and began a trial of the 
President as a breaker of the law and a traitor to his 
oath. By one vote Johnson would have been im¬ 
peached, or overthrown as President. 

It was through the negotiations of Johnson that 
Alaska was purchased from Russia, and during his 
administration the laying of the Atlantic cable was 
completed. On Christmas day, 1868, Johnson made 
the last official proclamation in which he stated that 
all States that had seceded or had taken part in the 
secession were completely pardoned. This refuted the 
idea that the country had of his bitterness toward the 
southern States. 

At the end of his administration Johnson returned 
to his home in Tennessee, and thereafter made several 
unsuccessful attempts to get into Congress. He was 
finally elected to the Senate. 

Andrew Johnson died on the thirty-first of July, 
1875, from paralysis, and was buried in Greeneville, 
Tennessee. 



‘Rutherford Hayes 

Rutherford B. Hayes, the nineteenth President, 
was probably the greatest builder of any of our men 
who ever lived in the White House. Although he 
spent four years in the Civil War, probably no Presi¬ 
dent led a quieter and calmer life. His folks came 
from Vermont and the beautiful free spirit of the 
Green Mountain State was inherited by him. 

Rutherford Birchard Hayes was born on the 
fourth of October, 1822, in Delaware, Ohio, shortly 
after his parents had come to the State. His father 
owned and worked a large farm, and also kept a store. 
The boy was a strong and happy lad and delighted in 
the great out-of-doors. Later he went to school with 
his younger sister Fanny. His father died when he 
was a small boy, and he missed his loving guidance. 
Young Hayes was an excellent student and the teach¬ 
ers delighted in helping the bright, ambitious boy. 
After finishing his education in the common schools 
he studied Latin and Greek with a tutor, later attend¬ 
ing an academy. In 1838 he entered Kenyon College, 
256 


RUTHERFORD HAYES 


257 


graduating four years later at the head of his class. 

After his graduation from college Hayes entered a 
law office in Columbus, Ohio, where he studied hard 
for two years, and then entered Harvard Law School. 
He studied so hard that he ruined his rugged health, 
and on his return home was sickly and pale. On the 
advice of friends he went south to recuperate, and 
while there met and married Miss Lucy W. Webb, the 
daughter of a doctor. She was a charming and noble 
girl, and in after life was a great inspiration to her 
husband. 

On his return to Ohio, Mr. Hayes practiced law 
until the outbreak of the Civil War, first at Marietta, 
then at Fremont, and later at Cincinnati, continuing 
his sudies in his spare moments. By this time the 
ambitious young lawyer had become very popular and 
was chosen to fill various important places in the city 
government. His practice increased rapidly and his 
fame as a good lawyer spread. 

At the news of the bombardment of Fort Sumpter, 
Hayes was elected corporal of the twenty-third Ohio 
regiment that formed. In this regiment there was 
also another man who was later to become President, 
William McKinley, and the two were good friends, 
continuing their friendship as long as they lived. 
Before the end of 1861, Hayes was promoted to the 
rank of lieutenant-colonel. He was wounded four dif¬ 
ferent times during these years, and at one battle 
where he was wounded, nearly half of his men were 


258 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

wounded. At this same struggle he led his men until 
carried from the battlefield. On his recovery he was 
appointed colonel of the regiment, and was conspic¬ 
uous for his brave deeds in several later expeditions. 
At one time he served in General Sheridan’s army and 
fought in the second battle of Winchester, where he 
did a daring feat. He had ridden out into a swamp, 
trying to cross it to reach a battery of the enemy, but 
his horse began to mire down and could not go on. 
Leaping from the horse he made his way afoot, and 
forty of his men followed, seized the battery and the 
victory was won. 

At the battle of Cedar Creek Colonel Hayes 
accomplished several more brilliant deeds and after 
the struggle was finished General Crook said to him, 
“Colonel, from this day you will be a brigadier-gen¬ 
eral.” 

After the close of the War in 1865, Hayes was 
elected State representative, and was reelected the 
next year. It was not long till he was elected gov¬ 
ernor of the State, and as a strong advocate for civil 
service and prison reform he won greater popularity. 
After his second term as governor he determined to 
return to his home and resume private life, but after 
much urging consented to let his name be used as an 
aspirant for United States Representative. However, 
he was defeated and for a few years enjoyed the home 
life he longed for. In 1876 he was chosen to even a 


RUTHERFORD HAYES 259 

higher and more responsible office, for he had been 
made President. 

His years at the White House helped to show the 
country what a great man and builder he was. 
Although the country was greatly troubled at the 
time with labor questions, he settled the disputes with 
justice and firmness. When he finished his adminis¬ 
tration he was still vigorous and ambitious, being but 
fifty-nine years old. His leisure time he devoted to 
charities and reforms in which he was greatly inter¬ 
ested. For a number of years he was the president of 
the trustees of the John F. Slater fund, an organiza¬ 
tion for the promotion and education of negroes. He 
was an active member of the National Conference of 
Charities and Corrections and served a term as presi¬ 
dent of the National Prison Association, and was a 
trustee of the Western Reserve University, and a 
member of various other committees and organiza¬ 
tions. But of all the honors given him he was 
proudest of being president of the Twenty-third 
Regiment Ohio Volunteers’ Association, his old regi¬ 
ment. 

A number of years before President Hayes had 
bought a home in Fremont, Ohio, where he died on 
the seventeenth of January, 1893. 



James c/I. Cjarjield 

“Fellow citizens; clouds and darkness are round 
about Him; His pavilion is dark waters and thick 
clouds; justice and judgment are the establishment of 
His throne; memory and truth shall go before His 
face. Fellow citizens, God reigns, and the govern¬ 
ment at Washington still lives.” So spoke James A. 
Garfield at the New York custom house when a fren¬ 
zied horror struck the crowd as they heard the news 
of the death of President Lincoln at Washington. 

Shortly after Garfield’s parents came from New 
York to Northern Ohio he was born in a log cabin 
near Orange, on the nineteenth of November, 1831. 
He was given the name of Abraham after his father, 
and with three other Garfield children had a happy 
time, even though he had to work hard when a child. 
His father made a good start on the farm in the wil¬ 
derness, working very hard all day long, but died 
before the little boy was two years old. The mother 
260 


JAMES A . GARFIELD 


261 


found it difficult to make a living for herself and four 
children in the uncivilized country and she was 
advised to return east, but she resolved not to leave 
the new home. 

James was sent to the district school and took 
every advantage of the opportunities offered him, 
being a very brilliant student. He started to school 
when he was but four years old and it was not long 
till he could read. By the time he was ten years old 
he was working hard outside of school hours. He had 
become a great reader, borrowing and buying all the 
books that he could. By the time he was fourteen 
years old he had helped to kindle his glowing imagin¬ 
ation with tales of adventure, and he longed to be a 
sailor. About this time a new home was built in the 
midst of the nice orchard that his father had planted, 
and it was the interest the building of the house held 
for him that kept him at home. From the carpenters 
he learned much of their trade. Finally, when the 
house was completed the adventure-loving boy could 
bear it no longer and pleaded with his mother to let 
him go to Cleveland and be a sailor. Mrs. Garfield 
was reluctant to let him leave home, and wanted him 
to stay with the other children and help on the farm, 
but at last she consented to his going. 

When he reached Cleveland young Garfield looked 
about for a boat and seeing a schooner climbed on its 
deck, but the captain saw him and urged him to 
return home. At last Garfield left the boat, but he was 


262 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

determined to have a few adventures before returning 
home, and so wandered about the city in search of 
work. Finally he secured employment as the driver 
of a canal-boat which carried coal from the mines to 
Cleveland. 

Garfield had been used to driving horses and 
easily managed the team on the worn towpath. So 
well did he do his work that his employers promoted 
him to a place aboard the boat to steer it. The boy 
was delighted at the thought, but it proved to be hard 
and dangerous work. He fell overboard several times 
and came near to drowning, and it was not long till 
he returned home, cured of his desire for the sea. 
Another longing came to him, the desire for a good 
education. There were many obstacles to overcome, 
but with pluck and determination he won, and in 1849 
entered an academy at Chester. He attended the 
academy for two years, working in the fields or as a 
carpenter or at any thing he could find to do during 
vacation to support himself and pay for his education. 
When he was eighteen years old he began teaching 
school, and later attended Hiram College for three 
years, paying his way here by helping with the teach¬ 
ing. He was an excellent scholar and especially bril¬ 
liant in algebra, botany, Latin and natural philoso¬ 
phy. At the end of the three years he was well edu¬ 
cated and had also saved three hundred and fifty dol¬ 
lars. But the ambitious boy was not satisfied with 
what he knew, so in 1853 he entered Williams College 


JAMES A . GARFIELD 


263 


in Massachusetts. Two years later he graduated and 
was made Professor of Languages and Literature at 
Hiram College. 

A year later Garfield married Miss Lucretia 
Rudolph of Hiram, an old schoolmate. For five 
years Garfield was president of this college, which 
grew very popular and the attendance was greatly 
increased. In 1858, after having made many speeches 
in campaigns for his friends, he was elected as senator 
to the State Senate. Here he was an influential mem¬ 
ber and he helped to persuade the Senate to vote 
twenty thousand soldiers and three million dollars to 
help in the Civil War. This made him even more 
popular in the country, and the governor of Ohio 
offered him the colonelcy of the regiment. In Decem¬ 
ber, 1861, he took the regiment to join the United 
States forces in the East. He took part in the great 
battle of Shiloh, and was especially courageous at the 
Battle of Chickamauga, after which he was made 
major-general. 

Garfield was then elected to Congress and feeling 
that he could do more for his country in helping to 
make the laws than in the army he resigned his posi¬ 
tion and went to Washington. Here he was very 
industrious and won many honors. In 1880 Garfield 
was elected to the Senate of Ohio. But the greatest 
honor came to him in July, when he was nominated 
as a presidential aspirant and was elected President. 


264 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


Garfield was an orator, and as such was always 
impressive, his own honest faith and sincerity reach¬ 
ing the hearts of his hearers. He is known as a self- 
made man, having through his own industry, perse- 
verence and courage fought an uphill fight against 
many obstacles until he attained fame and fortune, 
and then came to his death at the hand of an assassin. 

On the second of July, 1881 , President Garfield, 
joyous and glowing, was starting for Williams Col¬ 
lege to attend the twenty-fifth anniversary celebra¬ 
tion of his graduation. With James G. Blaine, the 
great statesman and orator, he entered the railway 
station, when a slender, middle-aged man came up 
and shot him. The President was quickly carried to 
the White House, and he soon gave an order that his 
wife should be summoned from New Jersey, where 
she had gone to recuperate from an attack of malaria 
fever. “Tell her I am seriously hurt, but I am myself, 
and hope she will come to me soon. I send her my 
love,” was the message. 

For three months the courageous man struggled 
for life, finally dying at Long Branch, New Jersey, 
where he had been taken, on the nineteenth of Sep¬ 
tember. He was buried near his old home in Cleve¬ 
land, Ohio. 



Martin \&n Buren 

No president has been born in a more stirring time 
nor died at a more exciting period than did Martin 
Van Buren, our eighth president. He was one of the 
ablest of America’s politicians and one of the coun¬ 
try’s greatest men. 

On the fifth of December in 1782, just as the Brit¬ 
ish were letting go their hold of the fighting colonies 
and making overtures for peace, Martin Van Buren 
was born. His birth was in a quaint little farm house 
in Kinderhook, New York, an odd little Dutch town 
on the Hudson River, sixteen miles from Albany, and 
is still standing. Martin’s father was a shrewd, good- 
natured Dutchman, a farmer and the keeper of the 
village tavern. His mother was also of Dutch descent 
and a pious and sensible woman, and the boy inher¬ 
ited many fine qualities from both. 

Martin was sent to the best schools in the town, 
and even when he was still very young he became 
265 


266 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

intensely interested in the political discussions which 
the neighbors held in his father’s tavern. Perhaps 
this led the quick-witted boy in after years to decide 
to become a lawyer. When Martin was but fourteen 
years old he began to study law, serving first as an 
office clerk, later as a lawyer’s clerk, then as a copyist 
of pleas, and finally toward the end of his six years of 
study as a special pleader in the constable’s court. 

In those days lawyers often gave their students a 
chance to try small cases before juries. When Van 
Buren was but sixteen years old he was given a case 
to try in Kinderhook. On the opposite side was 
a keen old lawyer of wide experience, but undaunted 
Van Buren carefully prepared his arguments. When 
young Van Buren came into the crowded courtroom 
there was much laughter and jeering, for he was so 
slight and slim. In derision some one lifted him on a 
table, but when he started speaking the amusement 
ceased. So eloquently and clearly did he argue the 
case that he won it. When Van Buren was but eigh¬ 
teen years old he was chosen to sit in the local nomi¬ 
nating convention. For a year he studied in law 
offices in New York with friends of Aaron Burr, and 
on his return to Kinderhook he began to practice law 
with his half-brother, James Van Allen. 

In February, 1807, Van Buren married Miss Han¬ 
nah Hoes, an old playmate and a distant relative of 
his mother’s. They went to Hudson to live, and for 


MARTIN VAN BUREN 


267 


twelve years enjoyed a happy home life, when Mrs. 
Van Buren died. 

Not long after he began his law practice Van 
Buren entered politics, and his kindly manner and 
shrewd judgment soon made him a leader, and he 
gained a wide reputation. Because of his small size 
he was frequently called “Little Van” or the “Little 
Magician.” In 1808, he was admitted to the Supreme 
Court of New York, and for the next twenty years 
was a leader in New York politics. In 1812 he was 
elected state senator of New York. When the war 
with England started he did not believe in it, but 
helped pass the law to raise troops. This pleased the 
people and helped to make him even more popular. 
New honors came to the industrious young lawyer 
rapidly, and in 1815 he was appointed attorney-gen¬ 
eral. In 1816 he was reelected to the senate, and the 
same year appointed one of the regents of the Univer¬ 
sity of New York. In 1821 he was chosen United 
States senator, and three years later he fought to help 
Jackson win the presidential nomination. 

Van Buren was then elected governor of New 
York, and when Jackson became president Van Buren 
resigned his place as governor and went to Washing¬ 
ton to serve as Secretary of State. The keen witted 
lawyer had learned to grasp every opportunity to help 
himself rise in politics. To show his gratefulness for 


268 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


the help Van Buren gave him to be elected President 
he appointed him Minister to England, but he was 
only gone a short time when he was recalled by the 
senate which refused to approve the President’s 
appointment. 

In the next presidential campaign Van Buren was 
elected Vice President, and in 1836 was chosen as 
President. One of the most striking of all inaugura- 
tional scenes was that of Jackson and Van Buren 
seated side by side in a phaeton drawn by four horses. 

Jackson’s administration had caused a considera¬ 
ble business panic, and things were left difficult for 
Van Buren to straighten out. His term was one of 
turmoil, with the slavery issue growing ever more 
intense, and Indian attacks and riots causing much 
trouble. But during all these trials and discourage¬ 
ments Van Buren showed himself a man of great 
strength, real courage, and a true American. 

In 1840 Van Buren again was an aspirant in the 
presidential campaign, but received but few votes. He 
returned to his home. In 1848 he was again nomi¬ 
nated, but only received a small vote. Because of the 
difficulties in which Jackson had plunged the nation 
Van Buren’s administration had not been looked upon 
with great approval. In the years that followed Van 
Buren kept keenly interested in politics, though he 
took no prominent active part in political matters. In 


MARTIN VAN BUREN 


269 


1853, with one of his sons, he went to Europe, and 
everywhere was received with honor. On his return 
to this country he retired to Lindenwald, his beauti¬ 
ful country home, where he stayed the rest of his life. 

He died on the twenty-fourth of July, 1862, just as 
the Civil War was raging, and was buried at Kinder- 
hook, his old home town. 



William H. Harrison 

“To be eminently great it is necessary to be emi¬ 
nently good,” was the motto of William Henry Harri¬ 
son, and his life of glorious activity proved that he 
made it a part of himself. Not as our ninth President 
or as a brilliant politician is Harrison best known, but 
as the “Hero of Tippecanoe.” 

On the ninth of February, 1773, William Henry 
Harrison was born in Berkeley, Virginia, on the 
banks of the famous James River. His father was one 
of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, 
and an intimate friend of George Washington. Har¬ 
rison’s parents were not poor and gave their son a 
good education. Although he was a frail, sickly boy, 
Harrison loved adventure. He had many exciting 
times playing with the neighbor boys, and planning 
some day to be a great soldier. 

When he finished the grade school Harrison went 
to Hampden-Sidney College, graduating from there 
with honors in 1790. Harrison wanted to join the 
270 


WILLIAM H. HARRISON 


271 


army and be a soldier, but his father insisted that he 
study to be a physician, so he was sent to Philadel¬ 
phia to take up the study of medicine. He was there 
only a few months when his father died. On his 
return home he heard much about the trouble they 
were having with Indians farther west. His old love 
for adventure and the desire to be a soldier prompted 
him to join the army as soon as possible, but on 
account of his ill health his friends tried hard to per¬ 
suade him not to do so and to continue the study of 
medicine. But the young man would not listen, and 
received a commission as corporal. In the very first 
battle nearly all of his companions were killed by the 
Indians, but Harrison escaped. The fresh air and 
exercise made him have better health, and he was 
happy trying to fulfill his dreams. 

Harrison’s first experience in the army was as 
commander of a pack train that carried food to dis¬ 
tant soldiers along the firing line. He was often 
exposed to many dangers, but his brave courage never 
failed him, and he won the admiration of all his com¬ 
panions. When St. Clair, his commander, was killed, 
Anthony Wayne was given his command, and Harri¬ 
son received the appointment of lieutenant. After one 
fierce skirmish General Wayne wrote about Harrison 
to headquarters: “Wherever duty called he hastened 
regardless of danger, and by his effort and example 
contributed as much to securing the fortunes of the 


272 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

day as any other officer subordinate to the com¬ 
mander-in-chief.” Not long afterward Harrison was 
made captain, and put in command of one of the 
larger forts. 

When the Indians were subdued and the territory 
was free a government was established and Harrison 
was made secretary. Three years later when the vast 
region was divided and the Territory of Indiana was 
created he was made governor, and during his service 
made thirteen treaties with the Indians. Through 
these treaties the United States came into possession 
of millions of acres of land. For twelve years he was 
governor of this territory, performing his duties with 
great skill and honesty. His keen tact made him a 
friend of the Indians. When the United States made 
the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the region was added 
to the land that Harrison governed. 

In 1811 the Indians along the Wabash River gave 
trouble to the settlers, and Tecumseh, their chief, 
was called upon for an appointment, which he made 
but did not keep. Their difficulties were not settled 
peaceably, and finally in September a great battle 
occurred near the village of Tippecanoe, eight miles 
from Lafayette, Indiana. So well did General Harri¬ 
son fight that he became a national hero, and ever 
since has been affectionately called “The Hero of Tip¬ 
pecanoe.” With the breaking out of the War of 1812, 
Harrison again joined the army, and while on a 
march received notice that he had been appointed 


WILLIAM H. HARRISON 


273 


brigadier general of the regular army. Once when he 
wrote to a commanding officer for instructions this 
answer was sent him, “Exercise your own discretion, 
and act in all cases according to your own judgment.” 
Such wide powers of authority had not been given to 
anyone in command since Washington. 

At the close of the War of 1812, Harrison resigned 
his commission in the army, and was elected as a rep¬ 
resentative to Congress for the Territory of Ohio. 
Congress recognized his gallant services in the war 
by giving him a gold medal and a resolution of 
thanks. In Congress he soon became known as a clear 
and able speaker, and his favorite motto was much 
quoted. From 1819 to 1821 he served as State sen¬ 
ator, and in 1824 he was elected to the United States 
Senate, but soon resigned. In 1828, he received the 
appointment as minister to Colombia, but a year 
later when Jackson made so many wide changes he 
was recalled. He returned to his home near North 
Bend on the Ohio River, and for ten years lived the 
retired life of a farmer, serving as clerk in the county 
office. His home was part of an old log cabin, cov¬ 
ered long before with clapboards, and he never per¬ 
mitted liquor to be brought into his house. He would 
drink nothing else but cider. 

In 1840, much to Harrison’s surprise, he was 
elected by the Whig Party as a presidential candidate. 
Probably no presidential campaign has been more 
exciting than the one of 1840, and log cabins and hard 


274 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 


cider figured conspicuously everywhere. The Whigs 
cried out on every side, “Tippecanoe and Tyler too!” 
Tyler was the candidate for Vice President. 

The short month that Harrison served as Presi¬ 
dent was the least exciting time of his adventurous, 
active life. He did not have a chance to demonstrate 
his ability as an executive at the head of a nation. 
Pneumonia developed and on the fourth of April, 
1841, he died. He was buried first in Washington, but 
later his body was removed to his home town of 
North Bend. 



Not as president but as father of the Constitution 
is James Madison best known. Few men have done 
more for their country than did this clever diplomat 
and graceful writer. 

James Madison was born on the sixteenth of 
March, 1751, in his grandfather’s house in Port Con¬ 
way, Virginia. While still a baby he went to live on 
his father’s great farm at Montpelier, in the region of 
the Blue Ridge Mountains, and only twenty-five miles 
from Jefferson’s home. James was a delicate, pale- 
faced child, but he managed to enjoy himself. For a 
time he was not sent to school but instructed at home. 
He grew to be very fond of his home and his books. 
He was also interested in his father’s affairs, and as 
he grew older seemed to become more shy and 
thoughtful. 

Madison was still very young when he learned to 
read French and Spanish, and was a keen student of 
ancient government. When he was seventeen years 
275 


276 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

old he started to Princeton College, and was an 
exceptionally brilliant student. He slept only three 
hours a day and his health soon failed him. He gradu¬ 
ated in 1771, and spent the next year in graduate 
study. On his return home he continued the study 
of history and the constitutional law, and in 1773 
received his first political appointment as a member 
of the Committee of Safety of the country. 

For more than forty years Madison was a promi¬ 
nent figure in public life. In 1776 he was chosen as a 
member of the delegation to the Virginia Convention. 
Thus he helped to make the Constitution for the State 
of Virginia, and some of the greatest speeches of his 
life were made in defense of the Constitution. After 
the adoption of the Constitution by the State Madi¬ 
son was elected to the general assembly. In 1777, he 
was given a place in the council of the State by Pat¬ 
rick Henry. Three years later he was sent as a dele¬ 
gate of Virginia to the Continental Congress. He was 
still young, but his sagacious influence made him a 
man of great influence. 

From 1784 to 1786 Madison again served in the 
assembly of Virginia, and the next year was sent 
again to the Continental Congress, and the same year 
as delegate to Philadelphia to the Constitutional Con¬ 
vention. With Alexander Hamilton and John Jay he 
helped to write essays about the government, which 
were published under the title of the “Federalist.” 

On his return to Virginia, Madison was chosen as 


JAMES MADISON 


277 


delegate to vote on the new Constitution which he 
later supported. During Washington’s administra¬ 
tion he served in the House of Representatives, and 
in 1794 Washington offered him the position of Sec¬ 
retary of State in his cabinet, which he refused to 
accept. 

The same year Madison, now forty-three years of 
age, met and married Mrs. Dorothy Payne Todd, a 
beautiful Quakeress. She was a very brilliant and 
attractive woman, and as mistress of the White 
House won lasting fame. Everyone who met “Dolly” 
Madison, as she was familiarly called, loved her. For 
a number of years she was the mistress of the White 
House. During the last years of Jefferson’s adminis¬ 
tration she was hostess, as Mrs. Jefferson had died 
some time before. 

From 1797 to 1801 Madison lived almost in retire¬ 
ment, spending his time in writing. When his old 
friend, Thomas Jefferson became President he was 
appointed Secretary of State. For eight years Madi¬ 
son filled this office, showing his wisdom and justice 
in the changing and trying conditions that faced the 
new country. By nature, training, and experience he 
was well fitted to take the place at the head of the 
nation. 

During most of Madison’s administration the 
shadow of war threatened, and it was only through 
the wise judgment of the President that war was so 
long averted. Madison made many negotiations, but 


278 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

slowly France and England pushed the new country 
into troubles, and finally the President declared war. 
It was but a few months after the beginning of the 
hostilities that Madison was reelected as President. 
There was strong opposition to the war in parts of the 
country, and many blamed Madison for entering the 
quarrel. 

All rejoiced when at last the treaty of peace was 
signed at Ghent on the twenty-fourth of December, 
1814, and ratified promptly the day it was placed 
before the Senate. During the war the White House 
had been burned, and Mrs. Madison had rather an 
exciting escape. The night it was burned, the Presi¬ 
dent and his wife spent in a little hovel in the woods. 
Mrs. Madison had taken with her some of the silver 
and a large portrait of Washington, which was 
greatly valued afterward. 

At the end of his term Madison returned to his 
home in Montpelier, Virginia, and during the years 
that followed took a great interest in education. He 
was especially interested in the development of the 
University of Virginia. His last public service was 
as a member of the Virginia Constitutional Conven¬ 
tion of 1829. In his retirement he was as distin¬ 
guished a man as he had been as President, and his 
wife was the same brilliant social leader. 

Madison died on the twenty-eighth of June, 1836, 
his wife following him in 1849. Few had loved each 
other more devotedly. 



William AdcFQnley 


“Good-bye, all, good-bye. It is God’s way. His 
will be done, not ours,” were the last words of Wil¬ 
liam McKinley, our twenty-fifth President. They are 
characteristic of the man and his life. It can well be 
said of him that he gave his life for his country. Few 
of our Presidents have shown greater wisdom and 
courage in the midst of trials than did McKinley, and 
his life will ever be an inspiration and help to his suc¬ 
cessors. 

William McKinley was born in Niles, Ohio, on the 
twenty-ninth of January, 1843, just one hundred 
years after the birth of Thomas Jefferson. The small 
lad was never strong or healthy, but enjoyed playing 
with the other boys, and when he started to school he 
soon won the reputation of being an exceptionally 
bright student. Even when he was a boy he was hon¬ 
ored for his high principles and great integrity. His 
grandfather and father were both interested in iron 
279 


280 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

and worked in iron foundries, so it was but natural 
that the young boy also became deeply interested in 
it. When he finished grammar school he started 
working in a foundry, and for a time was greatly 
pleased that he, too, could work. But it was not very 
long that the intelligent young boy could be con¬ 
tented laboring with his hands, and he decided that 
he must have more education. 

He started to school at Poland Academy and did 
brilliantly in his studies, being especially bright in 
mathematics and languages. In 1859 he started to the 
Allegheny College at Meadville, Pennsylvania, but 
stopped in a year on account of his health. In a short 
time he began teaching school for he could not long 
remain idle. 

McKinley was only eighteen years old when the 
Civil War started, and he stopped teaching school to 
enlist in the Third Ohio Volunteer Regiment. He 
served under McClellan in West Virginia in 1861, and 
the next year took part in the Battle of South Moun¬ 
tain and the bloody struggle of Antietam, where he 
distinguished himself by his courageous fighting, and 
was recommended for promotion by Colonel Ruther¬ 
ford B. Hayes. At various times he served as aide to 
General Hancock and Crook, and took a prominent 
part in the battles of Fisher’s Hill and Cedar Creek. 
On the twenty-third of September, 1862, he received 
a commission as second lieutenant, and by the end of 


william McKinley 


281 


the war had risen to the rank of brevet major. He was 
mustered out of the army on the twenty-fifth of July, 
1865. 

The young man decided at once to study law, and 
was admitted to the bar in 1867. He started to prac¬ 
tice law in Canton, Ohio, where he had lived the 
greater part of the time. One day while McKinley 
was studying and waiting patiently for some clients 
Judge Gidden, in whose law office he had studied, 
came in and said, “McKinley, here are the papers in 
a case of mine. It comes up tomorrow. I have got to 
go out of town, and I want you to take charge of it 
for me.” The young lawyer protested, saying he was 
not prepared to take the case, much as he would like 
to. The judge insisted that he try it, so McKinley sat 
up all night preparing his arguments and the next 
day won the case. He at once won a reputation as a 
good and forcible speaker and was in great demand, 
being elected as prosecuting attorney in 1869. 

About this time McKinley married Miss Ida Sax¬ 
ton, the daughter of a rich banker in Canton, and few 
marriages have been happier. In the death of their 
three small daughters a deep sorrow came to them, 
which influenced both of their lives and made them 
ever thoughtful of others. During this time General 
Hayes and McKinley were warm friends. 

In 1872 McKinley made many vigorous speeches 
in support of Grant for the presidency, and three 


282 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

years later for Hayes as Governor of Ohio. The 
young man had become a national figure and in 1876 
was elected to the House of Representatives, serving 
till 1891, except for five months in 1884. His influence 
became nation wide, and in 1880 he succeeded Gar¬ 
field as a member of the Committee on Ways and 
Means, becoming chairman of the committee eight 
years later. He soon became the leader of the Repub¬ 
lican Party in Washington, framing and carrying 
through Congress the high tariff bill. 

In 1890 McKinley was defeated for reelection to 
the House, but the next year was elected Governor of 
Ohio. During the four years he served as Governor 
of the State he worked hard to improve the roads, 
canals, and public institutions of the State, which 
brought him into national prominence. 

In 1896 McKinley was chosen as President, and 
during his administration the country passed through 
a perilous period. Beside the Spanish-American War 
and other troubles there was a great rebellion in 
China, and the United States minister at Peking was 
in a dangerous position. Troops were sent to rescue 
him, and this country was in grave danger of being 
plunged into another war. On the fourteenth of June, 
1900, through the efforts of McKinley the Hawaiian 
Islands were annexed to the United States. Notwith¬ 
standing these troubles, it was a time of prosperity 
and growth to the country and when McKinley was 


william McKinley 


283 


again elected the people cried joyfully, “Four more 
years of the full dinner pail,” but they could not fore¬ 
see the future. 

On the sixth of September, when the Pan-Ameri¬ 
can exposition opened in Buffalo, McKinley held a 
public reception in the Temple of Music. Hundreds 
of people passed by and greeted the President, when 
finally there came a slight, dark man with his hand 
bandaged. Just as McKinley reached out to shake 
hands with him a shot was fired and the President 
fell back in the arms of friends. He was taken to a 
banker’s house where he died on the fourteenth of 
September, 1901. He was the third in our list of mar¬ 
tyred Presidents. 



“I would rather be right than president!” 

These noble words were uttered by one of the 
most loved and yet least honored of American citi¬ 
zens—Henry Clay. They indicate the true and sub¬ 
lime character of this wise, peace-loving, and gentle 
servant of our great country. 

Henry Clay was born April 12, 1777, in “the 
Slashes,” a district in Hanover County, Virginia. His 
father was a Baptist minister, with small salary. 
Henry had six older sisters and brothers. When he 
was five years old his father died, leaving him with¬ 
out paternal support or loving guidance. The gentle 
minister never dreamed that some day his little son 
‘jvould become one of the most famous men in his 
country’s history. His widowed mother was very 
poor, and the boy had but few opportunities to secure 
an education. But being naturally ambitious and 
brilliant, he determined to improve every chance to 
gain knowledge. His teachers were surprised at his 
284 




HENRY CLAY 


285 


intelligence, his studious habits, and his talent for 
speaking. His keen mind and love of reading made 
him the brightest pupil in school. 

At the age of fourteen years he was forced to take 
a position in a retail business house to support him¬ 
self and help his mother. In the daytime he worked 
at this business, and in the evenings studied law. In 
a short time he became assistant clerk in the State 
Chancery Court, continuing his study of law. With 
his determination and talent he readily mastered the 
principles of law, and after one year’s study with 
Robert Brooke, attorney-general of Virginia, was 
admitted to the Virginia Bar in 1797. Afterward he 
said, “I owe my success in life to a single fact, 
namely, that at an early age I commenced and con¬ 
tinued for some years the daily practice of reading 
and speaking the contents of some historical or scien¬ 
tific book.” These paragraphs and chapters the boy 
would recite at work in a cornfield, forest, office, or 
anywhere he was laboring. 

After his admittance to the bar young Clay 
started to practice law in Lexington, Kentucky, 
whither his mother had gone about five years before. 
In that pioneer country he soon won great fame as 
an orator and jury lawyer, being able to win almost 
all his cases. He had a wonderful, appealing voice, 
and this made him popular as an orator. He also 
kept himself posted and spoke frequently and fluently 
on the topics of the day. In addition to his charming 


286 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

voice, he possessed winning manners and rare tact 
for making friends. He was the center of attraction 
wherever he went. 

Two years later Mr. Clay was elected a member 
of the state constitutional convention, which was the 
beginning of his political career. About this time he 
married a gifted young lady in one of the leading 
homes of Lexington, who took a keen interest in all 
his affairs. In 1803 he was sent to the legislature of 
Kentucky. In 1806 he was chosen to fill a vacancy in 
the United States Senate, and 1809 was again sent to 
the United States Senate for a short term. When 
first chosen he was too young to qualify. His brilliant 
eloquence increased and won attention until he 
shared with Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun 
the honors of being among the most eloquent of 
American speakers. These three were known as “the 
triumvirate of eloquent orators.” 

In 1811 Mr. Clay was elected to the National Con¬ 
gress in the House of Representatives, and on the 
first day was chosen speaker of the House, and for 
thirteen years filled this position with great ability, 
never having a single decision reversed. He won pop¬ 
ularity at the very first as an advocate of the War of 
1812. He had the honor of being chosen as one of the 
peace commissioners to sign the Treaty of Ghent in 
1814, which closed the struggle with England. 

On his return Clay resumed his activities in Con¬ 
gress, becoming a vigorous champion of protective 


HENRY CLAY 


287 


tariff, and of the government policy of internal 
improvement, which was displaced by the slavery 
question. For many years he used every effort in his 
power to prevent what came later as the War of 
Secession. In 1820, through his influence, the Mis¬ 
souri Compromise was passed. It was at this time 
that the gallant young orator was first called “the 
great Pacificator , ! ” a name which clung to him the 
rest of his life. 

In 1824 Mr. Clay was an aspirant for the presi¬ 
dency against Andrew Jackson and John Quincy 
Adams, but was unsuccessful. During President 
Adams’ administration he served as secretary of 
state, and at the end of this administration he re¬ 
turned to private life. Two years later he again was 
sent to the Senate by Kentucky, and in 1832 he was 
again nominated unanimously for the Whig presi¬ 
dency, but was again unsuccessful. 

In 1839, Mr. Clay made a famous speech in which 
he declared himself an opponent to slavery. His 
friends warned him that this speech would ruin his 
chances for the presidency, and it was then he first 
uttered the famous words, “I would rather be right 
than president.” In 1842 he again retired from the 
Senate, and in 1844 was nominated for the presidency 
against James K. Polk. Losing, he was again re¬ 
elected to the Senate, devoting the rest of his life to 
keeping peace between the States. 


288 INSPIRING LIVES OF SIXTY FAMOUS MEN 

He died in June, 1852. From his life we learn that 
fame and reputation remain far above the distinction 
of merely holding an office. In his life he was idolized 
by his friends and respected by his enemies. One of 
his biographers says: “As a public man his career 
was without a blemish.” 


































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































